The Right Thing
by kissinghollie
Summary: Arizona gave Callie the last thing she had to give her a chance at happiness. AZ reflects on the past year and moves forward with her life wondering how things got to this point & if she actually done the right thing while discovering that life is full of second chances especially for AZ & Meredith when someone unexpected shows back up. MerZona all the way!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Come in," Arizona called out as she glanced briefly at her office door after hearing the soft knock before returning her attention to her work. She'd been reviewing the tests results that had just came in on her newest consult patient from a doctor at Seattle Pres. She knew this patient needed to come in to see her soon and was hoping to get the results read and a viable plan for further testing written up this afternoon so she could get her assistant to make the necessary arrangements to have the patient transferred to Grey-Sloan within the next 24 hours.

Meredith pushed the door open but remained quiet as she observed the blonde with her head down over the tablet she was reviewing. She knew that the other woman must be distracted by whatever she was looking at because she never even acknowledged the opening of her office door. She knew these fetal surgery cases could be really intense and very time sensitive so she just watched Arizona curiously for a few more moments until Arizona lifted her head and addressed her.

"Oh hey, Meredith is there something I can do for you?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about somethings but I can see that you have your hands full at the moment."

"Yeah, unfortunately, this maybe an instance where I was consulted too late to make a difference but I'm hoping that I'm wrong. I just need to finish reviewing the original test results and have her transferred ASAP from Seattle Pres. If you can come back in half an hour, I'll have some free time to grab some lunch and we could talk then if that's okay."

"Sure that's fine. I have an open schedule the rest of the day with no scheduled surgeries. So as long as no 911's come through between now and then, I'm free. Hey, why don't I head across the street to the cafe and pick up lunch for us and meet you back here since what I want to talk about doesn't need an audience with nosy hospital gossipers near by."

"That sounds good. Can you pick me up that Winter Green Salad they have with a bottled water and have them put it on my tab."

"Nope, no can do. Lunch is on me. I'll see you soon." Meredith says before walking out the room and closing the door softly behind her.

Arizona just shakes her head and turns back to her task so she has everything done before her lunch guest returns.

Meredith heads towards the elevator with a slight frown as she realizes that was really the first time they have spoken since Callie left with Sofia. She and Arizona were never really that close until she returned from her hiatus after Derek's death, during which she gave birth to their 3rd child alone. Ellis was a blessing and she hadn't wanted to be seen as the grieving widow to be pitied. Plus, needed that time to come to terms with what she'd lost and unexpectedly gained in their daughter. Upon her return, she and Arizona became close friends when the blonde unexpectedly popped by to help her unpack a few days after she'd moved back into her mother's old house. Just remembering that night brought a smile to her face.

" _Hey, I just thought that since everyone seemed busy at the hospital when I headed out that you'd need a little help with the kids and unpacking. So here I am." Arizona smiled as she stood in the doorway. Stepping aside I allowed her in and motioned that she was free to hang up her coat and place her purse on the table by the door as I made way back into the living room to check on the kids._

" _Actually, I haven't even begun to think about unpacking. Maggie and Amelia were supposed to help with the kids this week so I could get it done but they've both had major cases and personal affairs keeping them at the hospital. So even though they agreed to move in and help, it's like I'm all alone. What about you, why are you here when you apparently have time away from the hospital?" I asked as we sat on opposite ends of the sofa._

" _Oh, well, Callie has Sofia this week and I really didn't want to head home to an empty apartment. And honestly, I miss having a noisy house on days like this one has been. I lost a patient today that was 23 weeks pregnant because she either didn't know she had a clotting issue or failed to mention it. So I was hoping you'd need a hand with the kids or the boxes even, as I could use the distraction."_

" _Arizona, thank you for the offer and I wouldn't mind the help at all. But can I ask why you chose this as a distraction over going out and possibly meeting someone who can become your distraction?" Meredith hoped she didn't offend the blonde or overstep but she was curious._

" _Honestly, dating really doesn't appeal to me right now. I know Callie is dating and that's fine with me really but I didn't ask for the divorce, she did, and I still try to make her happy even if I failed at that during our marriage so I gave her what she wanted and let her go. That doesn't mean that I was ready to let her go however, so the idea of looking for love doesn't interest me since I'm still trying to let go of the love I have for her. It may seem crazy but I've learned a lot about myself and healed a lot since I've been on my own. I continued seeing our therapist and I realize now what I ultimately want is her happy. If I can't do that, I need to let her go be with whomever does. I'm not ready to find my new happy yet since I'm still learning to be myself and actually like who I am again."_

As Meredith headed for the cafe she mused about how the rest of that night was spent tending to the kids, unpacking, and talking about things that they didn't really talk about with others. They both opened up about how they'd been dealing with the loss of their loved ones, even though they'd lost them in two very different ways, they still felt at ease with one another enough to know that what was said would never go further than the two of them. They formed a bond and a friendship that week as Arizona stopped over everyday to help. They talked about everything from their near death experiences including the plane crash, how they both dealt with it all, to wondering how to move on with life now that they were both essentially single after losing what they both felt were the loves of their lives, and about how the interns thought them to be immortal. Their friendship and bond had just continued to grow behind the scenes of everyday life as they either texted one another or spoke every night they had a chance to before they went to sleep just to see how the other was dealing with life or just needed a friendly ear to vent their frustrations to when something wasn't going their way. She even listened to Arizona talk about her trivia nights with Richard and how even though she dated and slept with some of the women she met, she never really found a connection with any of them and admitted that it was mostly her way of dealing with the Penny situation.

She knew that Arizona was consulting a family lawyer before Callie did and even though Callie was also her friend she knew that what Arizona was doing was the right thing for herself and Sofia so decided to let them work it out and stay out of it. She thought Callie was rushing into a decision by chasing Penny to New York without really thinking this through. She was not only leaving behind her people, her village, Sofia's village, her hospital, her lab, the Wounded Warrior Project, but she was taking away Sofia from Arizona like it was no big deal for Arizona to lose her daughter. When Callie asked her to testify she agreed because she knew that she was going to offer to do the same thing for Arizona but when she approached Arizona about it she said that she didn't see how that would be a good idea and she wasn't looking to isolate Callie from her friends but just wanted her to realize that she was wrong for trying to take away her daughter. She even admitted to Meredith that she thought they would reach an agreement long before they took the stand truly believing Callie would see the hurt she was causing everyone.

Unfortunately, things didn't go that way and Arizona won full custody of Sofia leaving Meredith to deal with a distraught Callie until one day she came home to find Callie packing hers and Sofia's things for New York. All she got out of Callie was that Arizona had shown up with tickets and told her to go be happy and that they agreed to terms for Sofia. Meredith tried reaching out to Arizona after Callie left the next day but she didn't get a response even though she saw her in passing that first week at the hospital they both seemed to be extremely busy. Meredith soon discovered that the blonde had taken a few weeks off and was gone to DC to see her parents. She realized that she actually missed the text and calls they'd been sharing since the move, hence her journey to the blonde's office with the offer of lunch. She missed her accomplice, as she'd taking to calling her and really just wanted to be in her presence for a while. She had really missed Arizona these past three weeks, more than she cared to think about truthfully, and couldn't wait to see how she was actually doing. There were times when her feelings towards Arizona scared her because she knew that she could fall hard for the other woman and she had moments when she wondered if she had already started down that very road. Not to mention she wanted to find out what the hell she was thinking letting Callie go to New York with Sofia.

She had made it back to the hospital with lunch and was standing in front of the blonde's office door again before she even realized it she was knocking for the second time that day since she had spent the whole trip reminiscing.

* * *

Arizona finished going over the test results quickly after Meredith had left to pick up lunch and wrote up her testing plan, transfer, and admittance paper work quickly so that her assistant could get it all handled soon. Time was against them with this case and she just hoped that she had enough left to give this woman and her baby a chance. The equipment here at Grey-Sloan was much more advanced than that at Seattle Pres so hopefully once she had a better picture of things the outcome wouldn't look so bleak.

She sat on the couch once her assistant had left to handle things. She'd told her assistant that she'd be taking a hour and a half break and would be in the office but didn't want to be disturbed unless necessary but that Dr. Grey was allowed in. Her assistant had been with her long enough to understand that she'd be giving her leg a rest and didn't want anybody just walking in on her. So as she sat down and slid her pants leg up to be able to remove her prosthetic she couldn't help but remember back to the first time she allowed Meredith to see her remove it.

 _It had been a long day and yet she still showed up at Meredith's to help her with the last of the unpacking. The past week had been an eye opener for her regarding the other woman. They actually had a lot in common and similar views on parenting. They had formed a tentative bond over their pasts and had shared things with each other that they felt the other would understand because they had experienced it as well. Hell, she even talked about losing her brother Timothy with Meredith and she rarely spoke of him, even with Callie. As they finished the last box, she realized exactly how tired she was and how much pain she was beginning to feel. She knew she needed to get her prosthetic off soon or the swelling would become unbearable._

" _You look tired and you look like you're in pain. Sit down while I take this last box out to the garage and break it down. I'll grab you a glass of water and some ibuprofen for the pain on my way back up."_

" _Meredith, that's not necessary, I should be going anyways. It's late and you need to take advantage of the peace and quiet while the kids are asleep and your sisters are at the hospital still."_

" _Nonsense Arizona, you're too tired to drive across town, not to mention the pain you're trying to hide. Sit there and I'll be right back and then we can get you settled in the guest room for the night."_

 _With that Meredith walked out the room leaving the blonde a little stunned that she had basically told her to sit down and shut up but with nicer words. She couldn't help but grin as she realized that was just how the other woman was and it felt good to have someone around who noticed these things. She just sat there rubbing her thigh to try and relieve some pain until Meredith returned._

" _Okay, here's the pills and water. What else do you need? I'm sure that I can find something around here for you to sleep in."_

" _Meredith thank you for this but I really should head home." I wasn't opposed to staying but I had a routine at night. Unfortunately without my crutches, I couldn't get around once I removed my prosthetic and with the swelling already this bad it was definitely a bad idea to sleep with it on._

" _Arizona, why don't you want to stay, really? I can see the pain and you really shouldn't be driving this tired. It's almost midnight so what's the real problem here?" Meredith asked as she sat down besides me on the edge of her bed where we had not long ago unpacked the last of her things into this room._

" _I have a routine at night and without my crutches…"_

" _Oh, well just stay in here with me it's a big bed and if you need to get up I can help." Meredith offered._

" _You don't have to do that, really."_

" _What else is it? You know that I don't have a problem sharing a bed with you or any of my friends really. Hell, just this month Alex, Amelia, and Maggie have all shared the bed with me more than once."_

 _I couldn't help but laugh at her a little for that. "Gee, so I'd be one of your many bed partners hun? Way to make me feel special."_

 _We both grinned after that before she placed her hand on my leg causing me to look up at her again._

" _I hope you know that I'm not concerned about having you in my bed just because you're into women. Hell, if anything you should be concerned because I snuggle indiscriminately. Seriously, I've accidentally groped Christina so much she swears I'm a secret lesbian. She'd probably stroke out if she ever found out that hers wasn't the only boobs I've handled. And Alex, poor fella, woke up last week with me cupping his junk, thankfully over his pajama pants or that would've been really awkward."_

 _We both broke out laughing at that point. Once the hilarity of that confession wore off, I knew that I could trust her with this._

" _I have never let anyone besides Callie, and Alex a few times, see me remove my prosthetic or help me with it. I know it's something that I need to get a grip on or I'll never get past a few dates or the occasional one night stands if I don't but I just don't want to see anyone else look at me like they did. That I am someone they need to fix. I understand Callie to an extent didn't even realize that she was doing it but it still hurt to know she saw me that way. It was actually one of the major issues that drove me into that on-call room with Lauren Boswell that night even if I regretted it immediately after. She knew and still found me attractive and didn't look at me like a project to be fixed or someone to be handled with caution. Alex, well, I just recently learned that he made the actual cut and carries the guilt for it so he doesn't even seem to notice he does it either but the look on their faces sometimes just really cuts into me, you know."_

" _Well, I don't see you as a project nor do I feel bad because you have one leg because it means that you are still alive and right now that's all I care about. I can't look at you any different once you take those pants off since I've never seen you do that before now. Not that I'm going to sit here and watch you take off your pants."_

" _Actually, would you watch? It might help me get used to doing this in front of others. I feel comfortable with you here and if I can see that it doesn't always cause people to make the same face then it may help me later on."_

After explaining to Meredith that I slept in boxers or just panties when she offered me pajama pants and finishing my nightly routine in the washroom, I returned to her bed and she watched the process of removing my prosthetic from beginning to end. She even helped me ice my leg while we talked over any and everything we had discovered about each other that week before finally drifting off into a good night's sleep just to awake the next morning to Meredith's arms wrapped around my waist while she was spooning me from behind. Since that week we have become really good friends, and I have to admit we've shared the bed more than once and all of them ended up with her wrapped around me at some point during the night.

My friendship with Meredith was easily the most intimate relationship in my life at this point. I felt like she was not only my friend but my best friend and confidant, my person, as she likes to say, in a way no one else has ever been. Alex is her person and I'm her person too but she says that it's different because she feels like she can tell me things that she never told either Alex or Christina and that sometimes that confuses her on what to actually classify me as. So she has taken to just calling me her accomplice since she claims that I know things that should be illegal for anyone to know about her. At this point I'd agree with her since she knows me just as well. I've never had that type of friendship before really. I was as close as could be with Callie but we were never just friends. We went from me kissing her in the bathroom at Joe's to being divorced and fighting a custody battle with some of the best and worst experiences of my life in between but never were we just friends during all that time. Hell, until the ruling came down from the judge in my custody hearing Meredith was usually the last person I spoke with daily, if we couldn't speak for some reason we'd at least text. It seems somehow our friendship has mostly flown under the radar of those around us and we actually agreed that we liked it that way since no one could try to influence it or us for that matter when it came to hospital or personal business. We're sure Maggie and Amelia know we're close friends since it would be hard for them not to notice being they live at Meredith's.

I haven't really spoken to Meredith in the last 3 weeks. The first week after Callie left with Sofia was really hard on me so I pretty much avoided everyone while I arranged for a few weeks off. I had asked for Sofia back that next weekend so that Sofia could see that I wasn't really gone from her everyday life but also so that I could see as well. We skyped that first week every night and every night since. We spent that weekend catching up on how her first week in New York had gone. I listened as she talked about their new apartment, visiting the new school she'd start when she returned, and about how she missed me so much that she wished her Mami would just come home to Seattle without Penny. I tried my best to explain things to her and ease her worries but only time would tell how well she was really adjusting. The schedule we worked out may need to be revised as we go but one thing was for sure, I would not be kept out of my daughter's life.

The week after Sofia went back to New York I took 2 weeks off and flew out to DC to see my parents. I spent the first 8 days with them and really had a heart to heart with them both about everything I'd been through since the plane crash. I told my dad how I felt so disappointed in myself for failing in my marriage and for not being the 'good man in a storm' he'd raised me to be but that I felt I was on my way back to being the best me I could. I spoke with my mom about my friendship with Meredith and how sometimes it confused me because it was easily the most intimate relationship I have in my life right now and how sometimes it blurred the lines a little too much for me to think clearly.

I liked Meredith and could easily fall for her more than I was afraid I already had and sometimes I wondered if she realized just how close we had become or how intimate we could be sometimes. I explained that the sleeping in the same bed, the gentle touches, the cuddling that often occurred on one of our office sofas or the sofa in her living room, sometimes left me with the urge to just grab her and hold on or to just kiss her senseless and see what happened.

My mom said that I should just be honest with Meredith about how I was feeling in those moments and that we'd built a solid friendship over the past year and that it wouldn't cause any problems between us. She also said maybe Meredith was experiencing the same things I was and just wasn't certain what to think since she had never really been with another woman. I didn't discuss Meredith's past with my mom so she didn't know that wasn't exactly the truth. While I learned that Meredith had never been in a relationship with another woman, she had slept with one more than once. Apparently, backpacking across Europe with her friend Sadie Harris had been more interesting than we'd originally heard.

The 9th day I flew into New York and stayed at a nice suite in a hotel near Callie's new place. I'd arranged to have Sofia stay with me the next 3 days so that I could take her to and from school Thursday and Friday so that I could have the chance to go in and meet her new teacher as well as make sure that the school had all my contact information. I wanted it to be perfectly clear that even though I wasn't in New York that I was very much apart of my daughter's life. I wanted to be given the same updates as Callie while making it clear that I would be available to schedule visits for anything needed if time allowed in advance and if not I would be available through Skype unless I was in surgery in which case I would contact them back as soon as I was able (except for emergencies which I left strict instructions on what to say to be patched through to me immediately even if I was in surgery).

I spent Saturday seeing as many places as I could with my baby girl before dropping her off late that night since I had an early flight to catch the next morning. Sofia had asked to come home with me numerous times so she could visit her family and friends and it was getting harder and harder for me to explain why she needed to give New York a chance so her Mami had a chance to be happy. I made plans for her to fly out on her next break from school which was in a few months and would last 2 weeks. Callie claimed that she couldn't ask for the days off to just fly back and forth so frequently since she had just started her new job.

I honestly think Callie believed that I would let it go at that, however, she should have realized that I'd thought of all of this before agreeing to let her take my daughter so far away from me. I'd spoken to Vivian, our usual nanny, a few days before I showed up on Meredith's doorstep and we'd negotiated a new contract that would be very beneficial to her and would rack up my frequent flier miles. She agreed to be Sofia's escort on any trips to and from New York over the next year and would continue to be her nanny anytime I had Sofia in Seattle. She also acted as a back-up nanny for Meredith and a few others from the hospital but her contract with me stated Sofia was priority number one and I made sure she was paid well for it.

Callie seemed surprised that she wouldn't be needing to visit Seattle over the next year as an escort for our daughter but I think she was secretly relieved. I really wish her well with Penny in New York but I think one day she will realize exactly what she's left behind in Seattle and will have to face everyone when the time comes. She acted impulsively when she made this decision and left the life she'd built here to follow someone she'd barely known for a year across the country. I honestly want her happy and hope letting her go will make that possible but I will do all I can to stay connected to Sofia while giving Callie her space away from here and away from me apparently.

I've barely spoken to Callie since the day I said goodbye to her and Sofia in the airport. We arrange visits, pickups, and drop offs through text or email. I bought Sofia her very own cell phone and iPad before she left so that we could contact each other without involving Callie everyday. It has worked well so far and hopefully this year will fly by and then it will be my turn to have her in Seattle for the next year while Callie can arrange visits with our daughter if she intends to stay in New York.

I didn't mean to avoid Meredith these past 3 weeks but I really needed the time to adjust to my new situation. I've really missed her and I hope she's not too pissed that I basically checked out on her and everyone else. I miss seeing Zola, Bailey, and Ellis as well since I've gotten used to being around them on the days I help Meredith with the kids when Amelia or Maggie can't. Hell, I'm sure she misses Sofia too. I need to give her Sofia's cell and Skype numbers so that she and Zola can stay in touch. I'm sure that Callie and Meredith can work out a time once a week so that the girls can talk or possibly Skype to keep their friendship up. I know Sofia has told me more than once how much she misses Zola not to mention her collection of aunts and her uncle Alex. We really do have a village here in Seattle.

I was so lost in my own head that I jumped a little when the soft knock sounded at my door again as it jolted me back to the present and the ache in my leg that I'd been absent mindedly rubbing while waiting on my lunch guest to return.

* * *

"Come in." Arizona called out after she regained her composure.

"Hey, did you take care of everything for your patient or do I need to just drop this off so you can finish up?" Meredith questioned as she approached the small coffee table to set the food down.

"I finished everything and have about a hour now before I need to get back to work so please sit with me. I'm sorry that I haven't really spoken with you these past three weeks and if you're not totally pissed at me I sure could use that time to talk to my accomplice." Arizona flashed a full on magical dimpled smile as she glanced up at her friend.

"Well, I'm here so you should know that I'm not totally pissed at you but I am not a happy camper either. I've missed you damn it and I want to know what the hell you were thinking when you showed up on my doorstep with those plane tickets for Callie and Sofia to New York but first you need to go ahead and remove your prosthetic since I can see it's bothering you while I get our lunch ready."

With that said Meredith began taking containers out of the bags while Arizona just grinned at her as she removed her prosthetic and sat it aside before removing the socket as well. She really needs to make an appointment with David in PT to see if she needs an adjustment. She's lost some weight over the last few months and she's noticed some slippage which she believes has been causing all the extra pain and swelling recently.

"You really need to go see David about that you know," Meredith began as she sat next to Arizona on the sofa. "It seems to be giving you a lot of grief these last few months. Do you have an ice pack in here I can grab so you can ice it while you rest?"

"Yes, there's one in the mini fridge by my bed in the suite."

"I can't believe you negotiated your contract to have a private suite inside your office. I guess being the Chief of Pediatrics and Fetal Surgery has it's benefits. Not to mention, being one of the only fetal surgeons on the west coast." Meredith trails off as she enters Arizona's suite only to resume talking as she steps back into the office before closing the door to the suite. "I'm extremely jealous of you right now."

"Well, you know the code to my office and can totally use the suite anytime you like. Just think about how much better it would be to use a private shower and sleep in an actual comfy bed instead of an on-call room next time you're stuck here overnight monitoring a patient. Just thinking about the amount of sex that goes on in those rooms is enough to give me the creeps now."

"Well, now that you mention it, it freaks me out too, even though God knows we've both had our fair share of on-call room hookups. Especially, since I saw how frequently Maggie and DeLuca exited one until recently not to mention what I walked in on Owen and Amelia doing while you were MIA. God, it scarred me for life I think. Then just the other day, I saw Richard and Catherine Avery exit the one closest to my office acting like interns. So I hope that was a serious offer and not your way of trying to butter me up over your absence."

"It was," Arizona laughed as they both settled down and dug into their lunch. "Seriously Meredith, you can use it anytime you need as long as it's just you. I don't want to catch you curled up with someone in my bed or in my shower."

"Well, since I have no urge to curl up around anyone except you lately, I don't think that's a problem. Seriously, I've missed you these past 3 weeks and I think it's worse since we've hardly spoken except for a few vague 'I'm fine' and 'will be back soon' texts. I mean if you think about it, at least once a week or every other week we've ended up curled up in my bed since that first night you stayed. So to go 3 weeks without even knowing that you're truly ok, is really getting to me Arizona."

"I'm really sorry about that and I've missed you too. More than I probably should if we're honest. We need to talk about this. You know that right? I can't be the only one that is starting to think that we need to have a serious discussion."

Meredith sat her lunch down and took a drink of her water while she collected herself for a minute while Arizona just watched her collect her thoughts.

Turning to Arizona, Meredith reached over and grabbed her hand with hers interlocking their fingers easily, as she looked up into those blue eyes that seemed to draw her in even more lately. "I know we do but I also don't really want to discuss it here and now. I would like to see if we can meet at your place this weekend since we're both off and not on-call barring major emergencies. I already asked Maggie and Amelia to watch the kids for me Saturday and to not expect me back till sometime Sunday. I told them I needed a night out and they didn't ask questions after that so they either suspect I'm going out with you now that you're back or that I'm secretly seeing someone. I'd like to sit here with you and finish our lunch, then I want to cuddle in beside you while you tell me what you've been up to while you were gone, and what your reasoning was behind allowing Callie to take Sofia to New York. Not only have I missed you but I have missed the little miss as well and so has Zola."

Squeezing Meredith's hand Arizona impulsively leans over and places a quick kiss on Meredith's cheek before pulling back and noticing a faint blush now adorning it, "Okay, lunch, cuddle, and explanations and I agree to shelve any talk of what's happening between us until Saturday."

Giving one more squeeze to Meredith's hand before she releases it, Arizona settles in and begins to explain everything that's happened over the past 3 weeks while they eat. She explained Sofia asking her why her Mami was sad and crying all the time, her decision to give Callie the last thing she could to give her the chance at happiness Arizona couldn't give her, the contract with the nanny she negotiated, the talk she had with Sofia before she showed up and offered the tickets to Callie, the agreement they came to over custody, saying goodbye to Callie and Sofia that day in the airport, that first week of being so depressed before Sofia was back for that first weekend, spending time with her parents and explaining that she finally told them everything she's been through since the crash, her days with Sofia in New York as she made sure Sofia and everyone else knew that she is still a major part of Sofia's everyday life even if she's thousands of miles away, and finally her thoughts on Callie believing she'd just accept that since she couldn't take off work that Arizona would be fine with not seeing Sofia as much and that they've not really spoken to one another since the airport and that oddly enough she's actually okay with that.

Lunch was long finished by the time Arizona wrapped up her story. Meredith was curled up into her side while tracing random patterns on her right thigh while Arizona absently massaged her left thigh since the ice pack had really helped with the swelling.

"Well, I agree that one of these days Callie will wake up and realize exactly what she left behind to chase a mediocre resident she's barely known a year thousands of miles away. She not only left her cartilage lab, the Chief of Ortho position, the Wounded Warrior project, the hospital that she's part owner of as well as a board member, but she left all of us too. We have a village here and she was part of that and so was Sofia. I know that we'll see Sofia as much as we can and I definitely want her cell and Skype numbers for Zola and myself but I don't know that I can forgive Callie so easily this time. I mean she not only acted like her old impulsive self but she seemed to disregard everyone's feelings this time except her own, including Sofia's. If she makes an effort to stay in touch, I won't ignore her but I'm not going to be the one to reach out after all this. She was one of my best friends and she just left the day after you gave her those tickets with barely an explanation."

"I understand where you're coming from and I honestly don't see her realizing anything is actually wrong for a long time either. Sofia is my only priority now where Callie is concerned. Any lingering thoughts or feelings I may have held onto was ripped apart when she allowed her lawyer to say those things about me in court and imply that I am any less Sofia's mother than she is and it truly hasn't bothered me that she has become someone who I exchange schedules concerning our daughter with over email or text. I would like to have a civil relationship with her for Sofia's sake and if that has to happen this way then I accept that but I had hoped that we could at least be some type of friends rather than co-parenting pen pals, which is basically what we've become."

They spent the rest of Arizona's break just sitting cuddled together on her sofa until a pager decided it was time for them to go back to work. They hurriedly straightened themselves and the office quickly but as Meredith was about to open the door for them to step out she turned and pulled Arizona into a hug and said, "I missed this, I missed you, and hopefully Saturday we'll get a chance to talk about the things we didn't today. Thank you for shelving that talk till then."

As she pulled back, she kissed Arizona on the cheek and then left her standing inside her office with a blush that rivaled her own from earlier.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

As the week passed, Meredith and Arizona fell back into the routine they had so easily developed over the past year. The only difference was that now they seemed to gravitate more towards one another than before. For some reason, they were more public with their friendship, walking together, eating lunch, or just seeking the other out around the hospital, was now a common occurrence. Some people seemed to notice right away and speculate about what was going on between them, other people noticed but didn't think much of it, however, as Maggie and Amelia sat across the cafeteria from them the talk was much different.

"Do you think Meredith is staying with Arizona this weekend?" Maggie asked as she noticed the smile that lit up her sister's face at whatever Arizona had just said to her.

"Yep, without a doubt," Amelia replied. "I mean Arizona basically up and disappeared for 2 weeks after Sofia went back to New York. Meredith was not an easy person to be around while she was MIA, not that she's normally an easy person to be around, but I think that little separation made a few things clear to them."

"Like the fact they've been basically dating for a year without realizing it." Maggie grinned over at Amelia attempting to wiggle her eyebrows.

"Well, yeah, except for Arizona's apparent trivia dates. Oh my god, do you remember the morning after we heard them talking about that first woman Arizona slept with. They were so focused on one another's reactions they didn't even realize we were camped out on the stairs for that whole conversation. I don't know how Meredith didn't realize then that she was jealous. I mean the next morning she was standing at the stove mumbling to herself about the tramp just throwing herself at Arizona and not understanding how Arizona could just sleep with someone she had just met in a bar that night. She seemed to forget that was how she met my brother. It was funny until she almost set the kitchen on fire."

"They do tend to be oblivious to the things around them when they are at the house. I mean the number of times I've came home to find them wrapped around one another asleep on the sofa or in Mer's bed this past year is crazy. I know Mer is a snuggler but have you seen them sleeping together? It's like trying to find a space where they aren't entwined would take a surgical map for separating conjoined twins."

"Yeah, I've seen them and I agree. Meredith usually ends up with an arm tossed over one of us when we sleep in her bed but it's nothing like them. I don't understand how they haven't gotten together before now. I mean just look at them, they're obviously into one another. Do you think we should say something to her? You know let her know it's okay with us if she wants to start actually dating the woman she's been with for awhile now."

"I'm not sure how we would even bring that up." Maggie stated.

"Oh, I know just the thing," laughed Amelia. "Just follow my lead later when she gets home. I'm grabbing Bailey and taking him home, while conveniently avoiding Owen as well, and since you have that appointment with your hairdresser for Zola and Meredith has Ellis's check up this afternoon, I'll start dinner so when she gets home we can get our dear sister to talk."

They glance up and see Meredith place her hand on Arizona's lower back to guide her out the door as they laugh quietly to one another. They just simply look back at one another and shake their heads side to side before getting up to follow them out.

* * *

Later that night the three of them are sat around the living room chatting about their day after they helped the kids to bed.

"Hey Mer, you and Arizona are good friends now right?" asked Amelia as she slyly winked over to Maggie so she knew to just follow along.

"Of course, I thought even you lot could have figured that out with how much time she's been over here helping with the kids this past year," replied Meredith. Hoping her sisters weren't that clueless especially given the revelations she and Arizona have had recently.

"Yeah, we noticed. Of course we did," rambled Maggie nervously wondering where Amelia was going with this exactly. "She's been a big help to you when we both get held up at the hospital. We like her and don't mind having her around."

"So you'd know if she's dating anyone right now," started Amelia glancing over at Maggie before turning back to Meredith. "I mean since she and Callie split she's not really dated and well, when she and I worked together on Herman's tumor I really got to know her again. I mean we knew each other at Hopkins pretty well, and that one time really well if you know what I mean, but I was curious if she was seeing anyone now?"

Maggie can't believe Amelia went there but the look on Mer's face is too good to stop this now so she said, "You mean you're finally gonna ask her out. I thought you got over that when you started sleeping with Owen?"

"I did, sorta. I mean Owen is great in his own way but he's no Arizona Robbins. I can only imagine how much she's learned since college if you catch my drift," laughed Amelia. She noticed Meredith was looking more and more pissed. Hopefully, she wouldn't be too pissed when she found out she was playing with her, well sorta.

"You've slept with Arizona before? And what? Now, you want to ask her out?" Meredith snapped.

"Well, if she's not seeing anyone, I think I will," Amelia replied. "She's kinda awesome in case you didn't notice and I'm surprised someone hasn't made a move on her yet. We fooled around a little at a party one night before we passed out in my dorm room before we actually sealed the deal but from just that little interaction in a horizontal position with her I can tell you I wouldn't mind having my way with her at least once. She was pretty hammered since it was a time not long after she lost her brother and I don't even think she realizes it was me she went to the dorm room with and not my roommate whom she had slept with several times before that night."

"Seriously?" Maggie questions as she sees that Amelia is actually telling the truth with that story and not just messing with her sister.

"Yeah, don't act so surprised, when Callie and I had that talk about being bi-sexual, I told you all that I had fooled around with a woman before and liked it. I just didn't think telling Callie it was her ex-wife was a particularly good idea at the time. I mean Arizona was as hot then as she is now," Amelia answered.

"Stop talking please," Meredith gritted out causing Maggie and Amelia to notice the fire burning behind those eyes. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly Meredith continues, "You mean to tell me that not only do you actually want to ask her out but that you drunkenly made out with her too?"

"Well, yeah, unless she's seeing someone I've thought about it once or twice over the past year," Amelia answered. "And saying that we drunkenly made out doesn't exactly cover it. I mean we definitely rounded some bases and was about to score when we passed out from all the alcohol. Dude, a topless Robbins is seriously hot!"

"OK, that's enough," snapped Meredith. "You will not be asking her out nor will you get to finish what you drunkenly started. I can't believe this. Why didn't you mention this sometime before now? Why wait until I've realized that I've started falling for her before you tell me that she's made out with my sister-in-law when I haven't even kissed her yet? Why days before we decided to actually sit down and talk about what's been going on between us without either of us noticing until recently?"

"Ugh, Mer," Maggie tentatively started, "what do you mean that you've just now realized that you're falling for her? How could you not see this before now? I mean we've watched it happen slowly over the past year. At least, we suspected that was what was happening."

Amelia watched Meredith snap her head around at that before turning her attention solely back on her. "You noticed this too and still want to ask her out?"

"No. Well, honestly, I would've definitely asked her out if I hadn't suspected that there was something happening between you two even if neither of you saw it yet," Amelia started. "And like I said, she's hot and even though I remember what happened between us that night, I don't think she does but I can tell you this...you are in for a surprise oh-sister-of-mine when you do get her horizontal for something other than sleeping like a couple of koala bears."

"Ugh, you're unbelievable," grunted Meredith as she glanced between them finally settling on Maggie. "Is it your turn to fess up? Do you want to ask her out too?"

"Ugh," Maggie glanced at her nervously before turning wide eyes onto Amelia begging for help.

Amelia just chuckled at her and waved her on because if she came clean then Maggie needed to as well.

"Seriously," Meredith groaned as she noticed the interaction.

"Well, she maybe the reason I've questioned my sexuality once or twice. I mean come on Mer, she's like amazing, she's smart and hot, plus those dimples are like a secret weapon. Did you know that the new interns call her McPerky? Because I didn't until I asked that new brunette intern who they were talking about and she replied, 'Oh the hot blonde fetal doctor with the amazing ass and magical dimples!' like I was crazy for not knowing who they were talking about."

"This just keeps getting better and better," Meredith sighed. "Okay, so apparently, I've been a moron or oblivious for a while now but can the two of you at least let me talk to her this weekend before either of you decide to forget we're sisters and go after my girlfriend before she's even my girlfriend."

"Wow, girlfriend hun?" Amelia smiled as she moved over and sat by Meredith on one side while Maggie took the other.

"Mer," Maggie started, "we wouldn't do that to you. We've seen more than you give us credit for this past year and, apparently, more than you even. While we admit to crushing on her at one point or another, apparently one of us more than the other," she continues as she glares over at Amelia, "we love you and want you to be happy. We both think that you and Arizona will make each other very happy and we were hoping that it was her you were staying with this weekend. We hoped that the 2 weeks she was sorta MIA made you both realize what's been going on and that was why we decided to test the waters tonight even though I didn't know this was the plan exactly."

"I just wanted to see if we were right about your feelings but also wanted you to realize that if you don't act on yours soon then there's a chance someone else will. I mean if we didn't know what was happening either one of us would have taken a chance and now she has interns checking out her ass apparently," Amelia grinned at her before continuing, "so you need to sort this out with her soon."

"I hate you both," Meredith laughed. "Seriously, we talked a little when she came back Monday enough for both of us to admit that we had feelings that we needed to have a serious conversation about and that's why I'm staying with her this weekend. Neither of us thought it was a conversation to have at the hospital. Hopefully, when I get home Sunday I can tell you my girlfriend has no interest in dating either of my sisters."

* * *

Saturday came quicker than either noticed and now Meredith was knocking on Arizona's door. She'd been here several times since the blonde moved in but they were all quick stops to either pick up Zola or drop off Sofia so she's never ventured further than the entrance-way hall.

"Hey, come in," Arizona said after opening the door. "Let me take your bag while you get out of that coat. I'll met you in the living room when you're done."

Arizona headed to her room to drop off Meredith's bag and returned to see her looking around her living room.

"You've never been past the entrance-way hall have you? Well, come on I'll show you around." Arizona reached out and interlaced their fingers before tugging Meredith to get her to follow along narrating as she went. "As you see, it's pretty simple and open so that I can get around easier on the crutches. The living room, dining area, and kitchen all open up into one another as soon as you clear the hall. The laundry is that door there at the back of the kitchen. This is Sofia's room and it has a shared bath that connects to my office which was supposed to be a guest room but I needed the work space more. Last but not least is my room and it has an incredible master bath that has a double walk-in shower designed with an amputee in mind, since apparently the previous owner had lost not only a leg but also an arm in Iraq, but the selling piece for me was the jacuzzi bath with a nice whirlpool setting. It works wonders after those long days on my feet in the OR."

"This place is great Arizona. I can tell that whoever designed it really took the time to consider the needs of an amputee."

"Yeah, I gave my Realtor certain specks that I had to have and this was the third place she showed me. I leased it that day actually. Sofia designed her room mostly herself and I had the interior decorator do the rest of the place."

By now they were back in the living room. As they sat down, Meredith leaned into Arizona's side and laid her head on her shoulder.

"Well, it definitely reminds me of you," Meredith said as she traced her fingers around the hand she was holding in her lap.

"How so?" Arizona asked as she rested her head atop Meredith's as she felt like her whole body was tingling from the soft touches of Meredith's tracing.

"It's beautiful and feels like home," Meredith replied shyly. "We need to talk about this Arizona. I had a very enlightening conversation the other day with Maggie and Amelia."

"I know we do and that's why we're here this weekend. I'm not going to run away from this or from you okay? Now, do you want to tell me about what Maggie and Amelia had to say?"

Meredith laughed a little at this point, "Okay, I'll tell you but can I ask something before I start because it came up during our talk and I've been curious about it ever since."

"Of course," Arizona replied and squeezed her hand to signal for her to go ahead and ask.

"Do you remember making out and rounding quite a few bases with Amelia in college one night after drinking heavily enough to end up topless with her about to steal home when you both passed out after a party?"

"What?" Arizona laughed before looking to see that Meredith was entirely serious. "Seriously?"

"Apparently," Meredith chuckled, "I'm laughing now but I wasn't when she told me. She said she didn't think you remembered that night and if you did you probably thought it was her roommate that it happened with since apparently you had already slept with her a few times before."

"What? I remember waking up in Alexa's bed, the roommate, one morning and not really knowing why but you're telling me it was because I almost had sex with Amelia Shepherd and don't remember."

"Oh, she remembers trust me, even if now I wished she didn't. She extolled your topless hotness and applauded your skills while wondering if they've improved over the years. Oh, that was after she asked if you were seeing anyone while hinting at the fact that she was going to ask you out. If she beat Maggie to you anyways. It seems both my sisters have the hots for you."

"Please start at the beginning and tell me what happened okay," Arizona lifted Meredith's head so that they were looking eye to eye before continuing, "I don't remember any of that and I would have told you if I did so you wouldn't have been blindsided like that if it ever came up. Believe me?"

"I believe you. Now listen and then we'll talk," Meredith chuckled. "This story will actually take care of a lot of things we need to talk about I believe."

Meredith told Arizona everything from that night. They laughed over the interns McPerky title and Arizona was quite embarrassed as she listened to the brunette intern's description and blushed when Meredith said she totally agreed with it. When Meredith explained that hopefully, she could come home and tell both her sisters that her girlfriend had no interest in dating either of them Arizona could have swore her heart was going to beat right out of her chest.

"Is that how you see me?" she asked quietly before pressing a kiss to the top of Meredith's head. "Even though we've not been on one date?"

"Arizona, I think we've been dating for almost a year without realizing it. I know that I've been falling for you slowly over the past year and have very strong feelings for you and I would like to see where this will go now that we have acknowledged those feelings for one another. Wait, you do feel the same right?"

Arizona placed her palm on Meredith's cheek and turned her head so they were facing one another before saying, "Of course I feel the same. I've been falling for you too and there's only one thing I can think of that I want more than to call you my girlfriend right now?"

"And what is that?" Meredith asked quietly while staring into the bluest eyes mesmerized by the tenderness she felt in Arizona's touch as she lightly rubbed her thumb along her cheek.

"This," Arizona said softly before leaning in to capture Meredith's soft lips in a tender kiss that quickly deepened leaving both women breathless.

* * *

Later as they lay naked and sweaty in Arizona's bed with Meredith lightly tracing patterns around Arizona's stomach she asked, "So can I tell my sisters that you have no interest in accepting their advances?"

"Definitely," Arizona smiled. "But seriously, how do you want to handle this? I have no problem with people not knowing if you're not ready for that."

"You should know me enough by now to know that I don't really care what people say about me and I don't do things I don't want to and I definitely want this Arizona Robbins. How else am I supposed to scare your groupies away if no one knows that you're mine?"

"That's fine with me but what do you want to do about the kids?"

"Well, I definitely want to tell Zola and Bailey that you're my girlfriend. We know that they love you already and like spending time with you so I don't see a problem there either. What about Sofia?"

"Oh, I'll tell her of course, but I'd rather do that face to face when she is here next. I don't see her having any problems with it so if you're okay with waiting to tell the kids until we can tell them all at once that would solve any risk of Sofia finding out from anyone but me."

"Of course. When is her next visit?"

"She has a few weeks off in a few months that she is flying in for so we can tell them then. Until then, as long as we remember not to kiss in front of them I don't see a problem. I mean they've seen us cuddled on the sofa, me sleeping in your bed, and the occasional touches we seemed to ignore for so long that I don't see an issue waiting until then. Do you?"

"No, and Zola is really looking forward to talking to Sofia. I told her that we could call her Sunday afternoon. I figured we'd call her around 3 which will make it 6 her time. I know you have a standing reservation with her everyday at 4 our time. The scrub nurses haven't stopped gushing about how sweet it is that you call even during surgery to speak with her. I swear I'm going to need to send out an internal email so that the hospital knows you're taken."

"Not really, by the time we get off Monday afternoon I guarantee the whole place knows. All we need to do is walk past Natasha at the peds floor nurses station holding hands or maybe a goodbye kiss at the elevator in front of her and everyone will know."

Arizona laughed but little did she know that she had just given Meredith the perfect plan to get the word out come Monday. Now that they had taken this step forward, Meredith didn't care who knew and only hoped they continued to feel this way for a long time to come. She never expected to find someone that made her feel this way again after losing Derek or have the type of connection she has with the other woman.

Unbeknownst to her, Arizona was thinking the same things.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Maggie jumps up at the sound of the door opening Sunday afternoon and rushes to Meredith.

"Well, how did it go?"

Amelia descends the stairs and laughs at Maggie's exuberance, "Down girl, let her at least get to the sofa and offer her a peace offering of a glass of wine before you start the interrogation."

"Yeah, I could use a glass of wine," Meredith says as she settles in on the sofa. "How are the kids? Where are the kids?"

"Oh, well, Ellis is sleeping and Zola and Bailey are at the park with Uncle Alex." Maggie answers after handing over the glass. "Now, spill before they get back. Zola kept reminding Alex she had to be back here before 3 so she could call Sofia. I think he is as excited to talk to her as Zola is."

"He stopped by looking for you but we told him you had errands to run and Zola mentioned one of those things was getting Sofia's phone and Skype numbers." Amelia added. "Now, spill how did it go?"

"Well, Arizona said that while she's super flattered that apparently both of my sisters find her date worthy, she will have to decline since her girlfriend can be super possessive and gets jealous easily," Meredith answered. "Plus, all I can say is that as long as I have my way you will never experience the things that she can do horizontally or vertically. But wow, did you ever miss out Amelia."

"That's so not fair Mer," chuckled Maggie. "You can't just say that and leave out the details."

"Seriously, though," Amelia grinned over at her, "are you telling people or is this all on the down-low for now?"

"Oh, we're not hiding it at all. Like I told her, how I am supposed to let people know she's taken finally if I can't stake my claim publicly," Meredith said. "The only thing we're waiting on is telling the kids until Sofia is here in a few months so we can talk to them all at once and not have to worry about Zola accidentally telling her best friend that their mom's are girlfriends now."

"I understand that and unless you guys step up the PDA to actually kissing in front of them over the next few months, I doubt they notice anything different," Maggie replied. "I mean you got down right cozy together around here before this weekend so I don't see waiting as a problem."

"Way to go Mer," Amelia said as she stood up getting ready to head out to check on a patient. "I'm happy for you both and don't worry, Mag's and I have your back at the hospital if the interns try to muscle in on your woman."

"Very funny," Meredith laughed, "but seriously thanks for being so great with this guys. I never thought that this would happen for me again and neither did Arizona so we appreciate the support. Make sure you listen out Monday because I plan on letting everyone know she's mine now."

* * *

Monday morning Arizona met Meredith by her car to help her get Bailey and Ellis to daycare since Maggie and Amelia had an earlier start.

"Hey you," smiled Meredith as she noticed Arizona take Bailey's bag and then his hand.

"Good morning! I thought you could use a hand getting these guys inside. Plus, I really wanted to see you."

"Just wait until we drop these two off and I can greet you properly," Meredith said as they started crossing the parking lot. "Zola was still going on about speaking with Sofia yesterday all the way to school this morning. It was amazing to see them so excited to see one another on Skype."

"I know what you mean the first half of my call was spent listening to Sofia tell me all about her call to Zola. She did mention that she spoke to you and Alex for a few minutes before she made funny faces with Bailey for Ellis. It was adorable. Then the tough part came during the second half of the call. She said that even though she likes New York okay she wants to come home to Seattle. She really misses it here but I think she's still settling into the new routine. I told her to give New York a try and that maybe I could fly out there once more before her next trip here in a few months."

By now the daycare attendants were used to seeing any combination of the four women dropping off or picking up Dr. Grey's children so neither of them worried about news spreading from here. However, as soon as they cleared the daycare Meredith reached out, took Arizona by the hand, and pulled her against her for a kiss. Neither seemed to worry or care that they were standing in the entrance to a busy hospital, part of which they owned, as Meredith wrapped arms around Arizona's neck while Arizona's naturally circled her waist.

They broke apart a few minutes later, grinned at one another and headed for the elevators. Neither noticing nor caring that not only had Maggie seen them but so had half the staff.

* * *

By that afternoon word had spread and it didn't take long before their various friends had all cornered one of them at some point during the day asking for confirmation. Both of them gladly gave truth to the rumors and went about their day. The rest of the week was going rather well until one morning Meredith noticed that all the residents were talking about someone returning to the program. She set out to find out who was back when she ran right into Leah Murphy standing in front of the surgical schedule board.

"Hello, Dr. Grey," Leah said. "Do you know where I can find Dr. Robbins? Today is my first day back and coincidentally I'm assigned to peds."

"She has a web consult this morning with a doctor from a hospital in Colorado I believe. She should still be in her office." Meredith replied. "I was headed there now. Would you like to walk with me?"

"Sure. So I hear that while Dr. Karev is working in the clinic Dr. Robbins is covering for him, last I heard she was Chief of Pediatrics why would she need to cover for him?"

"Oh, she is still Chief of Pediatrics but she is also the Chief of Fetal Surgery as well. When she became Chief of two departments the board allowed her to choose a Chief Attending for Peds and that is where Alex comes in," Meredith said somewhat proudly as they exited the elevator on the Peds floor.

"And is it true that Dr. Torres moved to New York with a resident?" Leah asks curiously. Too curiously for Meredith.

"It is," Meredith replied. "Things have changed since you left Murphy and some of them are best left in the past."

"I only ask so that I know what to expect from Dr. Robbins."

"Well, let's see shall we," Meredith said before knocking on Arizona's office door.

"Come in," Arizona called as she looked up to see Meredith enter her door.

"Hey you," Arizona says standing up to walk around her desk and pulling the other woman into her arms for a quick kiss. She doesn't even notice a very stunned Leah Murphy standing outside her open office door until Meredith points her out and says, "Apparently, Murphy here is assigned to a rotation with peds and was asking where you were."

* * *

"That was very evil of you this morning Dr. Grey," Arizona laughed later that night as they lay in Meredith's bed after getting the kids down.

"Well, since the first question out of her mouth was about you, followed quickly about whether or not Callie had really left, I figured it would be better to let her know quickly that you were off limits," Meredith replied before rolling over and straddling her girlfriend's thighs.

"Oh, I'm sure she got the message," chuckled Arizona as she rubbed her hands up and down Meredith's hips. "If by some chance she missed it, I'm sure one of your sisters would've made sure to set her straight. I still can't believe they sent that email to the residents and interns or that they convinced Ben to distract Miranda so they could get into her office to do it."

"I know that was hilarious really and I can't believe they pulled it off. They are just lucky Miranda thought it was funny or they could've been in serious trouble. Enough talking, I want to spend some quality naked time with you while the kids are asleep."

* * *

 _To: Grey-Sloan Residents and Interns_

 _From: The Sisters Pierce, Shepherd & Grey_

 _We are hereby giving notice that McPerky, the hot blonde fetal surgeon with the amazing ass and magical dimples, is officially off the market. Her ass and dimples are now the sole property of McTwisty, better half of the Twisted Sisters, and most recently known as Medusa, and together they form the Immortal Duo. So just remember before causing mischief for either of them, you're interns and residents and that between us we are the Chiefs of Cardio, Neuro, General, Peds, and Fetal surgery. So unless you're really interested in plastics or trauma…be warned._

* * *

The weeks passed quickly and they were surprised that their relationship had been so widely accepted and that most of the talk had been positive. Their had been a few not so positive things said but neither let it bother them. They were happy and that's all that mattered to them besides the kids.

Arizona had just managed to clear a few extra days around a conference she was scheduled to attend in Boston this week and was planning on using them to visit Sofia. They've continued their daily calls or Skype sessions when possible and so Arizona knew that Sofia had settled into her new routine better than those first few weeks. Hopefully, Callie would reply to her email this morning so she can confirm her reservations before tonight. It was still a little unbelievable that they had become nothing more than pen-pal co-parents. She would not have thought that after everything they've been through that they'd be reduced to the occasional text or email.

"Come in," Arizona called out as she looked up from her laptop when she heard the knock on her office door.

"Hey, do you have a few minutes?" Meredith asked as she slipped in closing the door behind her before moving over to stand in front of Arizona's sofa.

"Of course, especially for you," Arizona answered as she moved over to join Meredith. She sat down and pulled the other woman next to her and held her hand in her lap.

"What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you've received a reply from Callie yet?"

"Not yet but I'm hoping for one soon so I can confirm my reservations. If I don't hear from her before 3, I'm seriously thinking of just calling her. I don't like how things are right now between us but at the same time, I feel like I have done everything that I could given the circumstances and don't feel I should be the one to reach out to her. I have more than proven that I can maintain a place in Sofia's life even if we're thousands of miles apart. I have bi-weekly Skype sessions with her teacher for goodness sake's and yesterday I was told that was quite impressive apparently because Callie barely manages the bi-weekly face-to-face sessions. I just have no idea what is going on with her anymore since all I hear is from Sofia."

"Babe, you shouldn't have to be the one to reach out. She left, not you. She could've made a long distance relationship with Penny work for the duration of her grant. Hell, you've proven it's possible to maintain a healthy relationship with Sofia, whose only 6 so why couldn't Callie try that first before she uprooted everyone and everything. She's been gone over a month and has not once called or text any of her friends from here."

"I know you're right," Arizona smiled sadly at her before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "I just worry about Sofia being lonely and separated from her support system here. I met the nanny Callie chose there and she's nice but it seems every time I've spoken with Sofia lately she's with the nanny. Sofia asked me why her Mami moved to New York for Penny if Penny's never around and she also doesn't like that her Mami has to work more now. I explained as best as I could that things would hopefully get better soon and that starting a new job takes a lot of time but I still hate to see her like this."

"Well, have you mentioned any of this to Callie? Has Sofia?"

"I'm not sure if Sofia did what I suggested or not but I did tell her that if she talked with Callie about these things she would feel better. I'm going to talk with her more when I visit and if she hasn't talked to Callie then I'm going to ask to meet with her before I return. I don't know what else to do. I don't want to seem like I'm prying into her and Penny's business but I need to know that Sofia is okay."

"That's all you can do and as long as you show Sofia all the love and support you can then you two will be okay. This year will be hard but I'll be here to help you through anything. Believe me?"

"Of course I do," Arizona smiled before kissing her once again. She pulled back as the notification sound on her laptop alerted her to a new email. "Just let me check that and I'll be right back."

"It's fine Arizona. I have to go now anyways as I'm due in surgery soon but I'll see you tonight still right?"

"Of course, as long as Maggie and Amelia are still able to watch the kids. I should be home around 7 so if you get to the apartment before me just use your key."

Walking Meredith to the door she placed one more slow sweet kiss on her lips before she returned to check her emails. Callie had agreed to the surprise visit and said that she was actually a little relieved since she was going to have to cancel the plans she had with Sofia for a zoo day since she had to cover for another attending who was in a bad MVA the day before. Arizona knew that meant she'd likely be picking up more shifts and be on-call for at least the next few weeks so this only hardened her resolve to speak with Callie on Sofia's behalf if her little girl hadn't already.

* * *

"Oh hey, I didn't hear the door," Meredith said when she noticed that Arizona was leaning against the bar watching her. She had decided to order take-out from their favorite Italian place and was setting the table for the two of them. "You're just in time. I have the plates in the oven on warm and the wine is on the counter ready to go. I thought I'd surprise you with a nice dinner. Why don't you go get comfortable since you can see this is more of a pajama night."

She motioned down her body to make a point. When she arrived earlier, she headed straight to Arizona's room and pulled out one of her t-shirts and a pair of boxers. Over the course of the past month, she had managed to spend at least a few nights at Arizona's place. Usually if they got to spend the night together it was at her house due to the kids but on the few instances she got to stay at the apartment with her girlfriend she had made sure to leave behind the clothes she wore to sleep in. She had a drawer in her room that had some of Arizona's things that had collected in her room since that first night she had stayed. She had even gotten a pair of Arizona's old crutches from Alex's after Arizona had spent that first night so long ago in her bed that now had their own place under Arizona's side.

"Mm, this is perfect babe," smiled Arizona before swiftly pulling her in for a light kiss. "I'll be right back."

The dinner conversation was easy and it wasn't long before they were snuggled together watching a cooking show.

"Arizona," Meredith said as she looked up at her beautiful girlfriend from where her head rested on her lap. "Are you nervous about the upcoming flight? I mean I know you've flown since the crash but how are you doing with it because, honestly, I'm a little nervous about you getting on that plane in a few days."

"I still get nervous. I usually have to take something the night before I fly to get any sleep but believe it or not Derek taught me how to deal with the in-flight nerves. Well you know he taught me biofeedback for the PTSD after the crash right?" At Meredith's nod she continued. "He also explained to me that it can help with not only my phantom leg pain but it can be used as a calming technique when I'm in stressful situations that may trigger the PTSD."

"Wow, I never thought to use it for that. I'm not very good at it actually. He tried teaching me when the nightmares got to the point that I couldn't sleep without medicating heavily but I never really got the hang of it."

"It's not easy to learn but it helps. Now is there anything I can do to help you with your nerves over me getting on that plane in a few days?"

"Logically, I know you will be fine and that it's not the first time since the crash you've been on a plane. The thing is," Meredith bit her lip nervously before she locked eyes with Arizona and released the breath she was holding before continuing, "it's the first time you're getting on a plane since I've realized I've fallen in love with you."

Arizona brushed a few stray hairs away from Meredith's face with a shy smile on her face before responding. "Do you mean that? Truly?"

"Of course I do. I know it seems too soon because we've only been together for a little over a month technically but Arizona I've realized I've been falling for you slowly over the past year. I don't want you to get on that plane without you knowing I love you."

"Good, because I was wondering how to tell you the same thing before I got on that plane. I've been falling right alongside you." Arizona leaned down and placed a light kiss on her lips before leaning back. "Now, get up and come to bed with me so I can show you just how much I love you Meredith Grey."

They spent the rest of the night showing one another exactly how much love they had for one another. Many, many times.

* * *

Before drifting off to sleep Meredith thought back over the past year or so. She had truly believed she would never be able to love anyone the way she had loved Derek but what she discovered was that she didn't have to. She loved Arizona in a way that she knew she wouldn't have been able to had she not learned what it felt like to have loved and lost as they say. A part of her heart would always belong to him but she knew that she was very much in love with Arizona in a way she hadn't ever been with anyone before. She truly believes it's the foundation that they took so long to build their relationship on that was the difference. Whatever the reason was, she was just glad that Arizona felt the same way because she was starting to want a future with this amazing woman.

Arizona held Meredith close as she watched her sleeping later that night. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening for her again. She loved Meredith more than she had ever thought herself possible of. She found herself thinking of a future where they settled down and raised their children together and before Sofia that was something Arizona would've never dreamed of for herself. For so long, she believed that she had messed up the only chance at love she would ever have. Lately, she's begun to realize that you can have more than one great love in your lifetime.

She had loved Callie deeply and when that fell apart she had blamed herself for it. Lately she's realized that while she messed up, she hadn't been the one to give up, and ultimately she hadn't been the one that walked away. She agreed to the divorce because Callie wanted it and she had even shown up with the last thing she had left to offer on Meredith's doorstep that day with Sofia and the plane tickets to give Callie her chance at happiness.

Now, Meredith was her chance at happiness and she was going to do everything she could to make sure the beautiful woman that lay asleep naked in her arms stayed there for a very long time. She knew while she would always have a special place in her heart for Callie because she had taught her how to love and had given her Sofia, she was very much in love with Meredith Grey in a way she hadn't been with anyone before. She supposed that was because she was a different person now than she was years ago and they had taken the time to be friends and had fallen in love slowly and not jumped straight into a relationship. Whatever the reason, she knew she would do whatever she could to make their life together awesome.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

 _Flight just landed and I miss you already!_

 _ **Thanks. Headed 2 OR in a few. Love you ;)**_

 _Hey babe, just checked into the hotel. Meeting the little miss in an hour. I love you and miss you already. Let me know when you can talk tonight and we can Skype with the kids if it's not too late._

Arizona checked her phone one more time before dropping it in her purse before heading down to the lobby to meet the nanny with Sofia. She knew Meredith hated texting but she wanted to let her know that she had landed safely since she was sure Meredith was still a little nervous about this trip. As soon as Arizona stepped off the elevator into the lobby, she heard her baby girl.

"Momma, I missed you so, so much!" Sofia squealed as she ran up and wrapped her little arms around Arizona's waist as tight as she could.

"I missed you too little miss. Now, let's grab your bag, thank Ms. Grace, and get your things put away in my room so that we can head out and have an awesome day."

Arizona had caught an extremely early flight in from Boston so that she could spend as much time as possible with Sofia before flying back out late the next afternoon.

"Okay, Sof' what do you want to do today? Mami said you were going to the zoo before she found out I was going to be here. Still want to go or do you want to wait and let Mami take you?"

"I want to go to the zoo with you Momma. I've missed you bunches and bunches. Can we get pizza after the zoo please?"

"Of course, we can. Off we go then little miss." Arizona said as she grabbed her daughter's hand as they headed out.

They spent a wonderful day at the zoo. They saw all of Sofia's favorites and she even managed to talk Arizona into going through the reptile house. She had snapped several selfies of them throughout the day and even sent a few to Meredith and Alex. They grabbed pizza at a small place near the hotel before heading in for the night. Arizona had had a long few days between the conference and the flights so she was ready to relax and talk to her baby girl a little more.

After they had gotten through their bathes and settled on the sofa in front of the TV, Arizona asked Sofia if she wanted to Skype with Zola. She knew they were waiting on the call since she had received a text earlier from Meredith letting her now that she had gotten done earlier than she expected and was headed home with the kids already.

"Oh yes please," Sofia said as she watched Arizona set the iPad up on the little coffee table right in front of them. When the call connected the kids spent a good half hour catching up with one another on things they had done lately. Arizona excused herself to the other room for a moment to speak with Meredith alone before they ended the call.

"Hey you," Arizona said with a soft smile. "I hope you know how much I miss you already and I've only been gone 4 days."

"Trust me, I miss you too and I'll be expecting you in my bed tomorrow night when you get back no matter how late it is. I'm going to let you head back into Sofia but I wanted to see your face before I went to bed alone tonight. I love you Arizona. Good night."

"I'll text you tomorrow. I love you too. Good night babe."

Arizona disconnected the call and stepped back into the room with Sofia.

"Okay, little miss, let's talk for a while before bed okay?"

"Sure Momma, about what?" Sofia asked as she cuddled into Arizona's side.

"How do you like it here now baby girl?"

"It's just okay Momma. I have a few new friends but none as special as Zola. I like my school back home better too. When do you think Mami will let me come home?"

"Oh, little miss," Arizona sighed as she pulled Sofia in tighter to her side. "We talked about this already. You know Mami might not come back to Seattle. You get to come out next month and stay with me for a few weeks then you come back here. Then the next month is Thanksgiving so you will spend that week with me too. Then we'll have Christmas and New Year's together. You will spend Spring Break with me and then once you finish school for the year you will come to Seattle for a few weeks then spend the rest of the summer with your Mami. After all that you will spend your next year with me in Seattle and fly out here to see Mami while you live with me."

"Okay, I don't really like it though Momma. Mami and Penny work a lot more here than at home. I miss you all the time. I miss Zola and Bailey and Ellis and Aunt Meredith and even Uncle Alex too."

"I know baby and they all miss you too. And I miss you so, so much all the time. I promise to call and Skype as much as I can okay?"

"Okay Momma, I believe you," Sofia said as she hugged her tighter. "Can we go to the big park tomorrow? I like that part of New York the best I think."

"Of course we can. Now, let's get to bed little miss. We have a big day planned tomorrow before I have to catch my plane."

Arizona sent one last text that night before drifting off with her baby girl curled up in her arms.

 _She asked when she could come home again tonight? Did I do the right thing in allowing this? I love you! See you tomorrow sweetheart!_

Almost immediately her phone lit up with a reply.

 _ **You said yourself she needs time to adjust. You are doing an amazing job of staying an active part of her day to day. Hopefully, after Penny's grant is done Callie will come to her senses and fix this mess. I love you too Arizona. Goodnight babe ;)**_

* * *

Arizona and Sofia spent most of the morning in Central Park. They grabbed breakfast before they left the hotel and had lunch in a small cafe right outside the park. When they got back Arizona packed everything up and spent a little while holding her daughter on her lap while they watched a movie. She received a message earlier that Callie would be here soon to pick up their daughter. She was a little nervous to see Callie since they haven't spoken in person since they said goodbye in the airport.

Now, however, it was time for her to meet Callie in the lobby so she could pick up Sofia so Arizona gathered their things and headed down to check out with a sad Sofia trailing behind her.

"Cheer up little miss, I will see you next month for 2 weeks and we can talk everyday until then okay?"

"I know Momma but I will miss you and wish Mami would just go home already or just let me go back with you."

Arizona stopped right outside the elevator and squatted down in front of her daughter, "Sweetie, I know this is hard right now and I will miss you too. We need to try and make this work because Mami might not want to come back to Seattle baby. Why don't you talk to Mami about how you feel tonight when you get home? You know she would miss you like crazy if you left her here alone. Plus, with Mami's new job sweetie, she won't be able to visit you as much as I can come here."

Sofia sighed and wrapped her arms around Arizona's neck before pulling away allowing her Momma to stand up. Sofia straightened up and squared her shoulders before replying, "I'm 'a good man in a storm' like Grandpa says and I'm 'one pound one ounce strong' like you say Momma. We can do this."

Arizona watched her little girl press the button for the elevator as she wiped away a stray tear. She was very proud of her in this moment and knew that Sofia would try her best to be happy here with Callie. She just hoped things would get a little easier on her girl. She would have to call her parents this week and tell her dad how his little soldier was taking his lessons to heart. She had heard from her mom that they still called Sofia once a week at least and tried to Skype her every few weeks. They planned to visit Seattle next month for a few days to see her while she was home for those few weeks. They were actually thinking of moving closer to Seattle before next summer. Her dad could consult with the bases between here and Tacoma and he said they felt it was time to leave DC.

We stepped off the elevator and headed over to the desk so I could checkout. Once that was handled Sofia and I headed to the front entrance to wait on Callie. Unfortunately, we were both surprised when the nanny showed up and explained that Callie had gotten called into an emergency that involved a bus crash. Arizona saw the hurt and disappointment written all over her baby's face and couldn't help but wonder again if she had done the right thing.

"Okay, little miss, I know this isn't what we expected but you know both mine and Mami's work can be unpredictable at times. Hopefully, Mami will get done soon and you will see her then. If you're up to it you can talk to her about how all this makes you feel then okay. If you decide you want me to try and talk with her, all you have to do is ask baby girl and I will. Now, be good for Ms. Grace and I will call you tomorrow at our regular time. I love you so, so much."

Arizona hugged her tight before letting her step over to take the nanny's hand.

"Bye Momma. I love you too and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

* * *

 _Hey babe, the plane is about to board so I'll see you when I get in tonight. Callie didn't show_ _and Sofia was so upset. See you soon._

 _ **Poor Sofia. Looking forward to it. I miss you and so do the kids.**_

After Arizona saw the seat belt sign go off she decided to retrieve her laptop from the overhead compartment, so she could check her emails and compose a few she needed to send off. Being a doctor she usually tried to book all her flights with WiFi access in case she needed to review time sensitive test results. After all, she had a 6 hour flight ahead of her and the time to spare.

After taking care of business related tasks, she composed an email to her parents with the usual update on things happening with her or with Sofia. She made sure to tell her dad how proud he would've been of Sofia today. She asked if they had thought more about the move and let them know if they needed any help finding a place around Seattle she was more than willing to help. Once she finished up with them she decided that she should really send one to Callie.

 _To: Dr. Callie Torres_

 _From: Dr. Arizona Robbins_

 _Callie, you really need to make some time to talk to our daughter about how she is feeling right now. I know we said she needs time to adjust and I believe that still. She was looking forward to you picking her up this afternoon so she could spend some time with you and talk about it. I understand you are busy and had an emergency come in and I explained that to her as best as I could but I think she could really use some Mami time soon. I'll email you the flight info for next month as soon as I book it. ~Arizona_

Not long after Arizona sent off the email to Callie she packed her things away and tried to get in a small nap. She set the alarm on her phone for about an hour before the flight was scheduled to land and prayed they wouldn't hit any turbulence while she slept. The only other time that happened she woke up having flash backs and had a panic attack.

The flight remained calm and the nap had given her a little energy boost. Since she had about an hour left on the plane, she decided to check her emails once more to make sure that nothing had come in on the new fetal case she was consulting on with a doctor in Denver. She hoped that the latest results will have shown no major changes so that the patient could fly out to Grey-Sloan in the next few days. However, the only thing in her mailbox was a reply from Callie.

 _To: Dr. Arizona Robbins_

 _From: Dr. Callie Torres_

 _Things have been busy. Sofia will adjust and my schedule will slow down soon. I'll talk to her._

Arizona sat stunned. Had they really been reduced to this? 18 words in an email. How the hell had this happened? Did their time together really mean so little to Callie that she was okay with the meager exchanges between them? Arizona had hoped that they could at least be friends since they shared a child. She really didn't know what to do about this situation anymore. It seemed like Callie had truly left her life in Seattle behind including the fact that they used to at least have verbal conversations concerning their daughter's well being.

* * *

"Hey you," Meredith said as she saw Arizona step in her bedroom later that night. "How was the flight?"

Arizona leaned in the doorway and smiled at her before replying, "It was okay. Long but okay. I could really use a bath though. Care to join me? I looked in on the kids before coming in and they're all asleep."

"Of course, have you seen yourself wet and naked," laughed Meredith as she got up and headed toward her bathroom. "I'd have to be crazy to turn down an offer like that. Coming?"

Arizona just smiled at her and followed her into the bathroom before replying, "Not yet I'm not, but hopefully, before the night is through we both are."

Meredith couldn't help but laugh before pulling her in for a passionate kiss before closing the door.

After their amorous activities were completed and they lay cuddled together in bed Arizona took a few minutes to fill Meredith in on the response to her email to Callie. Fortunately, they both had a late start the next day so even though Arizona was absolutely drained she knew that her mind wasn't as ready to rest as her body was. Meredith took a moment to gather her thoughts before she replied.

"Arizona, we both know that Callie acted impulsively when she made this decision. I hate what it's doing to you and Sofia but I don't see Callie coming back anytime soon. She is too stubborn to admit that she acted hastily and didn't really think this through. If you want Sofia to come back before the year is up, I will totally support your decision. However, I think what you are doing right now is the right thing to do for now. You are making sure Sofia knows you are there for her and that you will make time for her as well. When she comes out here next month, if things haven't gotten any better for her by then I think you should have a serious talk with Callie about what needs to happen to make the situation better for Sofia."

"God, I just can't believe she doesn't see what this is doing to everyone around her. Has she contacted anyone from here at all?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Meredith sighed before placing a soft kiss on Arizona's lips. "I asked around while you were gone and no one has heard anything at all. Bailey did say that she received an email from her father's lawyer advising the hospital on how to handle her shares and what to do with the patents that she has pending from her research. He left instructions that her board seat was to remain in her possession and that anything that could be handled through email in advance of a scheduled meeting would be handled directly by Callie but in case of an emergency vote her decision was to vote with the majority."

"That's it? She didn't even contact Bailey herself. Unbelievable," sighed Arizona. "Any word on whether or not Bailey has anyone lined up for the Chief of Ortho spot? I imagine after that email any hope Bailey had that she would be handing that spot back over to Callie was crushed."

"She has several prospects that she was holding back on contacting but she said that they each have a meeting with her next week and that then a committee made up of 3 board members would conduct interviews and then share the findings with the board before we took a vote."

"Any idea who they are?"

"One is Dr. Abigail Freeland from Boston and the other is Dr. Gerald Downer from Houston. Have you heard of either of them? I googled them both and I have to say they both seem impressive but Dr. Freeland seems to win on paper at least."

"I've never heard of Dr. Downer before but I know Dr. Freeland. We went to med school and through the intern and residency programs together actually. She was the second in our class and always seemed to come in right behind me for everything. It was even a toss up between the two of us for Chief Resident."

"Is there anything I need to know about her before I meet this woman next week?" Meredith asked carefully.

"Are you asking me if I slept with her?" chuckled Arizona. When Meredith just nodded yes she replied, "No darling, I haven't. There was too much competition between us for anything like that to have happened. She is a lesbian, however, and always trying to one up me so maybe I should watch out when she is around you."

"Well, she's outta luck because I happen to be very happy with you Dr. Robbins and I seem to fall more in love with you everyday."

"That's good to know because you make me extremely happy as well Dr. Grey and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I show you just how much more in love with you I fall everyday."

* * *

The next week Dr. Abigail Freeland became the new Chief of Ortho after a unanimous vote in her favor. As predicted she hit on Meredith often during the interview process and any chance she got that week once she learned that she was dating Arizona. However, before the board sat down to vote each candidate was asked to have one last meeting with 3 different board members than before to go over a few things to make sure they understood what would be expected of them at Grey-Sloan. They just didn't know that the rest of the board was watching the meetings as well. Dr. Downer went first and was met by Dr.'s Bailey, Hunt, and Robbins. It just so happened that Dr. Freeland's 3 representatives were Dr.'s Pierce, Shepherd, and Grey.

When Abigail entered the boardroom, a blindingly bright smile lit up her face as she noticed that Dr. Grey was one of the women on her panel today.

"Good morning ladies, Dr. Grey you look exceptionally ravishing today," she stated with a playful wink thrown in before she took her seat across from the three.

"Good morning, Dr. Freeland. Thank you for the assessment but seeing as Dr. Robbins made sure to show me exactly how ravishing she thought I looked this morning, I knew that already," laughed Meredith as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms before looking over at Amelia signaling that she was free to start.

"Look Dr. Freeland, here's how this is going to work. We would very much like to offer you this job, however, if you can't put aside this annoying need of yours to bed my sister just to one-up her girlfriend it's not happening. And honestly, you could try to one-up Arizona all day around this hospital or with my sister but it's just not going to work. Dr. Pierce do you care to explain why?" Amelia looked over at Maggie and motioned for her to take the lead a moment.

"Of course sister," Maggie answered. "Not only is Dr. Robbins the youngest winner of a Carter Madison grant, the founder of a ground-breaking women and children's clinic in Malawi, a double board certified pediatrics and fetal surgeon, Chief of Pediatric Surgery, Chief of Fetal Surgery, Board Director here at Grey-Sloan, and part owner as well, she is the woman that my sister loves."

"Don't forget she's also the woman that had your sister screaming in the shower this morning," Meredith butts in.

"Yes, that too," laughs Amelia as she leans back, crosses her arms like Meredith and mimics her relaxed pose exactly. "Now see, the thing is, if we hire you then you will have to just set aside your childish need to beat Arizona at something when clearly it'll be a very hard thing to do. I personally think you would fit in well around here if you can do that but if you can't you need to withdraw before the board casts it vote. And remember if you accept this job, not only will you basically be working for my sister and her girlfriend but you will be working for a board comprised of their family and closest friends who will have no problem tossing you out on your ass if you decide that you can't keep your hands to yourself where our sister is concerned."

"Don't forget dear sister that our hospital also has a policy prohibiting attendings or department heads from having undisclosed relationships with our residents or interns. So sexing up any single willing hot young thing you can coax into an on-call room is very much frowned upon." Meredith added.

"Do we have an understanding Dr. Freeland? Or do we need to let the board know that you have withdrawn from the running?" Maggie asked casually as she leans back to copy the same relaxed pose of her sisters.

Dr. Freeland looks a little stunned for a moment before she also copies the other women before casually asking, "Is there anyone I can hit on in this place?"

"Sure any of the single attendings or department heads," answers Meredith as she stands up and heads for the door. "Seeing as both of my sisters had the hots for my girlfriend at some point or another, I'd suggest you start with them. Good day Dr. Freeland."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

It was just a few days before Sofia's visit. Arizona had not missed a day of talking to her daughter since she left but she was really excited to have her home for the next two weeks. She had stayed at her apartment tonight to make sure everything was clean and that the kitchen and pantry were stocked with Sofia approved items.

Truthfully, she had spent very little time at home since her return from New York. It seemed that she spent most of her time at Meredith's with her and the kids. They spent a few nights apart each week due to their schedules but Meredith made the effort to spend at least one night every few weeks at the apartment with her.

She knew she needed to talk to Meredith about how things would work while Sofia was here. They planned to talk to the kids about their relationship on Sunday since neither of them were on-call that day. Hopefully, things would be fine but with kids you never know.

Arizona was changing the linens on Sofia's bed when she was surprised to unexpectedly hear Meredith.

"Arizona, babe, where are you?"

"Sofia's room," Arizona called out. She had just finished pulling the duvet up when she saw Meredith step into the room.

"Hey you, need some help?"

"Nope. I just need to put these pillows back and I'm all done," Arizona replied as she finished up her last task of the evening. "That's the last thing I needed to get done before little miss gets here. Not that I'm complaining but what's brought you by? I thought you was alone with the kids tonight."

"Ugh, let's get a glass of wine and relax on the sofa and we'll talk," Meredith groaned as she wrapped her arms around her waist and placed a light kiss on her lips before releasing her and walking out the door.

"Is everything okay?" Questioned Arizona as she followed Meredith towards the kitchen.

"Yeah," Meredith answered as she grabbed the wine glasses as Arizona selected their favorite wine. "It's just I don't see what my sister sees in that woman. I mean she spent the first week here hitting on me incessantly but after we laid down the law so to speak before we hired her it's like she took it as a challenge when I said to start with one of them."

By now they had settled onto the sofa and Meredith had snuggled into Arizona's side with her head resting on her shoulder while Arizona lightly traced invisible patterns on her side with the arm that wrapped around her.

"And this brings you here tonight how?" asked Arizona after placing a kiss on top of her girlfriend's head.

"I had just gotten the kids settled in for the night and was headed to get a glass of wine. As I came down the stairs Maggie came in the door and said her patient didn't make it so she didn't need to stay at the hospital after all. I told her the kids were asleep already so she should just have a few glasses of wine with me before bed. When we walked into the kitchen we found Amelia and Abigail basically going at it. Ugh, the amount of bleach I'll have to use on my counter-top before I go anywhere near it again scares me."

"You mean the same counter-top I had you on last week?"

"That's different and you know it. Besides, we made it to the bedroom before clothes had started to come off. Amelia was revealing all of Victoria's secrets while her ass was on my counter-top but at least Abigail still had a shirt on even if it was ripped wide open. I'm sure I'll be finding buttons everywhere tomorrow when I disinfect the place."

"What happened next?" chuckled Arizona.

"Oh that's the best part," laughed Meredith. "Maggie just goes over and grabs the glasses and the wine bottle before she comes back, hands me my glass, fills mine and hers before putting the empty bottle back. She then looks at me with a straight face and says _'if I have to actually see them having sex after listening to all the sapphic love that happens around here I'm gonna need another bottle of wine and some new batteries'_ before she leans against my side and just stares at them. I pulled her outta there and told the exhibitionist to get a room. After they went upstairs Maggie offered to sleep in my room and listen out for the kids if I wanted to come over tonight since she has a late start tomorrow like we do. Only after she informed me that her room needs some sound proofing since she can here everything that happens in that house at night and wanted to know when we all became so religious since we cry out _'Oh God'_ or _'sweet Jesus'_ so much."

Arizona couldn't help but laugh a little before replying, "Well, she has a point but I didn't think we were that loud since we try to keep it down because of the kids."

"Oh, it's just her room that hears everything since it used to be the attic. When Lexie was in that room she complained about it too but I didn't think about it until she mentioned it tonight."

"I'm glad you're here actually, since I think we need to talk about the next few weeks," Arizona said before placing her wine glass on the coffee table and wrapping both her arms around Meredith.

"What about them? Besides that sleeping without you the next few weeks will suck."

"Why do you think you will have to sleep without me for two weeks? We're telling the kids Sunday and that's only Sofia's second day here."

"I wasn't sure if you'd want to spend the night with us or have me here while she's visiting. I know we're telling them and my kids are used to you staying over already but since you'll only have Sofia here for two weeks I figured you'd want as much time with her to yourself as possible."

"I love you Meredith and I won't hide that from anyone, especially, Sofia. She needs to see us together to be able to adjust to it since I haven't introduced her to anyone since the divorce. I know she knows you already, and she's living with Callie and her girlfriend so seeing us with other people isn't exactly new for her but it will be the first time she sees me with someone. I will probably spend more time here than I have in the past few months since not only is Sofia visiting but so are my parents but I'm not spending two weeks sleeping without you."

"I don't think I could sleep without you for two weeks Arizona. I barely sleep the few nights we're separated as it is. Sofia always sleeps on the trundle in Zola's room when she stays at the house so anytime you want to stay while she's here it's no problem and I'm sure they'd like to have a few sleepovers while they can."

"Are you ready to meet my parents when they visit as my girlfriend because they are excited to see you and the kids," Arizona asked since she knew her mom and dad had been excited for her when she had told them she was seeing Meredith.

"Of course, Arizona," Meredith sat up and pulled her towards the bedroom. "I'm actually looking forward to seeing them because the few times we've spoken since we've been together they've seemed really supportive of us being together and asked if they could spend sometime with me and the kids while they're visiting. I hope you know that I'm all in this too and really want you to consider moving in with me soon."

Meredith had backed her towards the bed before pushing her lightly onto it and crawling up so she was straddling Arizona.

"Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"I am." Meredith said as she leaned over and placed a kiss on her girlfriend before sitting back up and pushing Arizona's shirt up some so she could trace patterns on her bare stomach. "I love you and want very much to build a life with you. That includes living together and raising all four kids together. My kids love you already and I know you love them as well. I love Sofia and hopefully she'll be okay with me being with her Momma enough to want to live with us too. Arizona, we don't have to do this tomorrow but in the near future would be great because I love you and life's too short to waste. We both know that all too well but if you think it's too soon I'll understand and wait till you're ready."

Arizona pulled Meredith down into a passionate kiss before releasing her to answer, "I love you so damn much it scares me. It scares me to want you so much because we both know how life throws things at the two of us. Honestly, I'd move in with you tomorrow if I could but how about we get the next few weeks done and then we'll make that happen."

"Well, we can be scared together then at least but Arizona I'm not scared of this with you. I'm scared that the universe is just waiting to screw with us again. I couldn't stand to lose you too. I love you and want a life with you so bad it scares me to death. I want things with you that I never thought I'd want again. Can we just be really frank with each other for a minute and not get scared or upset with the things we hear?"

"I've been nothing but honest with you from the beginning and have no reason not to be now and I promise not to run from what I hear if you promise the same?"

"Of course," Meredith said before she kissed her quickly then laid down beside Arizona so they were face to face wrapped in each others arms. "Okay, remember no running."

"Meredith, unless you tell me to leave then I'm not going anywhere. I love you and want a life with you. I know this is scary since this is so new and we've both been hurt before but hopefully we're wanting the same things from this relationship. We'd have to talk about these things at some point. We may as well do it now so we know where we stand before we move in together."

"Okay, close your eyes for me?" Meredith watched as Arizona done as she was asked. "Now, picture a year from now and I mean really picture it for a minute or two."

Meredith watched as Arizona lay there with her eyes closed and slowly watched that magical dimpled smile adorn her face. Whatever she was thinking about Meredith could tell it was something that would make Arizona extremely happy and that is what Meredith wanted.

After a few minutes of watching her Meredith said quietly, "Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them and tell me what you see."

"A huge house full of laughter as the kids play, you and I laughing at them as they attempt to play with the chickens, crawling into bed beside you after we finally get everyone settled in for the night, and waking up with the woman I love naked in my arms the next morning because we passed out the night before too exhausted from making love to get dressed."

"That sounds perfect but when you wake up who are you waking up too?" Meredith asked after she placed a light kiss on her girlfriends oh so soft lips.

"You of course." Arizona answered quickly.

"I'd hope so but what I mean is are you waking up to me as your girlfriend or your wife?" Meredith asked shyly.

"My wife," Arizona replied honestly. "And that's what scares me so much. That I can clearly see you as my wife already. Isn't that crazy since we've only been dating a little over two months?"

"If it is, then we're both crazy because I can see that too. Now, open those gorgeous eyes for me." After she could look Arizona in the eyes again she continued. "It seems soon to think of that but even though we've only been together for a little over two months we've been falling for one another a lot longer than that. I don't want to jump into anything right now but I wanted to know if we wanted the same things in the future. You moving in is a start on that path and I want to take the time to enjoy getting to that point in the future."

"Me too sweetheart," Arizona said before she rolled over and pinned Meredith to the bed. "Whatever happens next, we'll handle it together and at our own pace because I love you too much to ever consider taking a path that doesn't lead to you now."

There was no more talking after that as they spent the night showing each other just how much they loved one another.

* * *

Sofia's first visit was great for everyone in Seattle. Arizona was relieved to hear that she had talked to her Mami and that since then she said Callie had been at home more. Sofia took the news of her relationship with Meredith really well and she only asked if that made her and Zola sisters. They explained that it might lead to that one day but right now nothing changed except they all got to spend more time together. They made sure each day of those two weeks counted since Arizona had tried to keep her schedule as light as possible for her visit. Sofia made her rounds visiting everyone she missed around the hospital on the days her Momma got called into an emergency. Sofia even got to put on her lab coat and do actual rounds with her Uncle Alex one day and they both loved every minute of it.

Arizona's parents spent time with her and Sofia alone and then they spent time getting to know Meredith and the kids better before they headed home. They had looked at a few areas near the military bases and had decided that when they got back to DC they were going to put their house on the market and start preparing to move. They hoped that by this time next year they could say that they had 4 grand kids to be around since they could see just what Meredith and her kids meant to their daughter.

They would always consider Callie family because of Sofia but they knew Meredith was Arizona's future now and hoped everything would finally settle down in their daughter's life. They couldn't blame Callie any more than they could blame Arizona for their marriage failing because while they knew Arizona had done many things wrong they also knew ultimately she tried to fix them and Callie was the one that had given up and walked away.

They could tell that both Arizona and Meredith was looking toward a future where they were a family. They knew Arizona had changed so much since first meeting Callie and that while things with her hadn't worked out for them, Arizona had grown a lot as a person and her dad could actually see she was once again the good man in a storm they taught her to be.

* * *

As for Callie, she had managed to finally sit down and speak with her daughter a few weeks before her visit. When she realized that Sofia was actually wanting to go back to Seattle to live with Arizona instead of in New York with her and Penny, she knew she had to make some changes. She managed to get more time at home with Sofia and made a better effort at being involved with everything in her daughter's day to day life again.

Well, almost everything since she didn't interact with Arizona at all. Arizona had bought Sofia a cell phone and an iPad of her very own so that she could speak with her daughter on a regular basis. Callie had thought that was brilliant at first since she knew as surgeons they stayed busy and Callie couldn't guarantee to be with Sofia at a certain time everyday so she could call. However, she realized that meant she had no reason to actually speak to Arizona on a daily basis. She wasn't actually sure how she felt about that except that it bothered her. She decided that it was easier to just ignore the disappointment she felt and just focus on trying to make things work between her and Penny.

When Sofia returned to New York after her first visit to Seattle, Callie listened to Sofia talk about her time away. She heard about how her Grandma and Grandpa came to see her while she was there and had taken Sofia to the aquarium and the zoo before they left. She listened as her daughter talked about visiting the hospital and doing rounds with Uncle Alex and visiting with Aunt April's little girl Harriet in the daycare where she saw some of her old friends too. She watched the joy on her daughter's face as she told her about the sleepovers she had with Zola and how Aunt Meredith and Momma had taken them to a lot of cool places while she was there. Callie listened to see if she noticed anyone new in Arizona's life from the stories but so far she knew everyone except for Amelia's new girlfriend who Sofia had told her Aunt Amy said was the new Chief of Bones. So apparently this Abby was not only dating Amelia but had Callie's old job. Callie wasn't sure why she felt relieved to not hear about anyone new but like most everything lately she pushed the feeling aside and concentrated on making things work out for her in New York.

* * *

A few weeks after Sofia's visit, Maggie walked into the attending's lounge and headed straight for her sister who was eating lunch.

"Hey, are you sure that you're okay with me not moving out now that Arizona is moving in? Amelia said since she's taking over Arizona's lease that I could move in with her."

"We talked about this already," Meredith replied as she turned her attention to her sister. "Unless you want to move out, don't. If you move into Amelia's old room, you won't hear everything that goes on around the house. Plus, we could still use your help with the kids and they like having you around."

"Oh, I'd rather stay at the house," Maggie grimaced. "I walked in on Amelia and Abby going at it in Amelia's office again yesterday. That's like the 6th time I've seen them having sex so I can only imagine if I moved in with her. No thanks. At least, I'll only have to hear you and Arizona instead of seeing it."

"You won't even have to hear us once you switch rooms. Well, you shouldn't anyways. I can't promise anything but you know we try not to get too carried away when the kids are in the house."

"Okay, I'm staying since you're sure. I'd really miss the kids now if I moved and I'm starting to understand what it means to be a part of the village you guys have formed."

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing isn't it." Meredith smiled before standing up and tossing her empty lunch container. "I'll see you later. I have surgery soon and Arizona is meeting the movers at the house this afternoon so if you could help me with the kids later I'd appreciate it."

"Sure, no problem." Maggie answered before Meredith left.

* * *

Time passed and it was a few days till Thanksgiving and Arizona and Meredith had settled into living together rather well. They needed a few adjustments like any normal couple would but all in all things went smoothly. They fell into co-parenting roles seamlessly and neither were nervous about how Sofia would handle the new living arrangements.

They had hired a contractor to come in and redo Maggie's room and add in some sound proofing. Maggie had decided to keep it so that Sofia could have her own room too. They had called the interior decorator that Arizona had used on her apartment and had her come in and do both rooms. Maggie spent those few weeks sleeping between the sofa and on-call rooms until she could bring her stuff back in from the garage.

Arizona and Meredith had finished unpacking Sofia's things the previous day. Sofia would be there tomorrow, the day before Thanksgiving, and would fly back Sunday morning so that she could spend Monday and Tuesday with Callie before returning to school on Wednesday. Arizona's parents flight was arriving just before Sofia's and they would leave the same day. They had booked a hotel close by and had a few houses to look at on Saturday that the Realtor had found for them.

As Arizona walked into the kitchen she saw Meredith just standing there with the door to the refrigerator open.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Arizona asked as she walked up and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

"I'm just double checking things on the grocery list. With this many people coming I don't want to have to send someone out at the last minute for anything. I'm just glad Barbara and Amelia are doing the cooking while we just have to help Maggie get everything set up."

"Well, Mom wouldn't have it any other way I'm afraid. She always feels the need to cook for Thanksgiving and Christmas no matter whose house she is in. I'm just worried we won't have enough room for everyone."

"Yeah, even though I love this house I wish we had a bigger one."

"Really?" questioned Arizona. "Would you consider moving again?"

"Yes, I moved back in here because it felt more like home to me. After Derek died, I couldn't stand to live in the house that he built for us. Now, we have 4 kids plus Maggie so we're running outta room." Meredith said as she turned in her arms after closing the fridge.

"Can we sit down with the Realtor in a few weeks and give some info on what we would both love to have and let her start looking? If you're not ready for that it's fine but it could take a while for her to find what we need?"

"Are you serious? You want to buy a house with me?"

"Yeah, I've even thought of building one so that it would be exactly what we both envision."

"How long would that take to happen? I mean it took Derek over a year to get that house done but I think that was mostly because he tried to do a lot of it himself."

"Well, we would still need to meet the Realtor to look at property and then meet with an architect but if I had to guess I'd say at the very least 6-7 months until we could move."

"So we could possibly move in what June or July? That would be awesome actually, since it would be before the new school year and our year with Sofia starts." Meredith smiled at her before leading her out to the sofa.

"I think it should be possible if we start soon. We can set an appointment with the Realtor next week and then find an architect but hopefully she can recommend one."

"Let's call and get started then but I don't want to sell this house again. I would like to keep it and maybe have it serve as a place for anyone who needs a place to stay. It was basically a frat house my intern and residency years. Almost everyone has lived here at some point or another for some reason."

"What about Maggie?" Arizona asked as she thought back over just exactly how many of their friends had lived in this house. Hell, she lived here with Alex briefly when she moved out of her and Callie's house after the divorce.

"She could stay here if she wants but if she was interested in living close by we could consider building a small guest house or a studio apartment over a large garage or something. That way she would be close but have her own space because she seriously needs to start seeing someone. We need to work on that too."

"So are we really doing this? We're agreeing to meet the Realtor and go over what we want and if she doesn't have anything remotely close we look into building?" Arizona asked as she held Meredith closer.

"Yes, we are really doing this." Meredith answered before she kissed Arizona sweetly and stood up and pulled Arizona with her. "Now, let's finish this damn list because we will have a house full of family and friends in a few days so the faster we get done the faster I can get you upstairs and naked before Maggie and the kids get home from visiting Aunt Amy."


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: So I've avoided doing these and this will be the only one. To all the guest reviewers who are complaining or asking for me to leave Callie out of it I want to explain. This whole story started because I had the idea about what would happen if for some reason Callie showed up in the middle of the night at Meredith's door a year after she left and Arizona opened the door. During that year Callie's only info would have been what she learned from Sofia. And so here we are. This is my way of getting this idea outta my head. If you like it, I'm glad but if it's not for you I hope you find a story that is.

Chapter 6

Sofia's Thanksgiving visit went very well but seemed to fly by. She spent some time with just her Momma her first day back so they could talk about how they now lived at Aunt Meredith's house. She was very excited that her room was exactly like the one she had at the apartment only she claimed this one was way better because it was across the hall from Zola. She loved that her grandparents were there to visit her again and that Uncle Alex had played the guitar for them after dinner on Thanksgiving so they could all have a dance party. She was really sad when she left but her Momma reminded her that she would be back in a month for Christmas and New Year's.

Arizona was glad that Sofia took the news of them moving in with Meredith so well. She took her to the park near the house and talked to her before they arrived home that first day. She was relieved when Sofia said she liked New York better now but still liked Seattle the best. She figured that Callie was back on a regular schedule since Sofia said she see's her Mami a lot more than when they first moved. She did notice that Sofia barely mentioned Penny though when she told Arizona about all the things they got to do.

She didn't want to pry into Callie's life but she also wanted Sofia to know that she could talk to her about anything so she had sat with Sofia again and explained that it was okay to talk about Penny too. Arizona was worried that somehow her daughter had noticed that it used to bother her to hear about Penny when her and Callie had first started dating and that her daughter was trying to spare her feelings when she didn't need to anymore. She knew kids pick up on more than you would think. She explained that it didn't make her sad anymore and that Sofia could always tell her anything.

Sofia surprised her again when she said, "I don't see Penny very much Momma that's all. She's not home a lot. I'm not sure she likes me very much. She's not mean to me but I did hear her tell Mami that it's just a lot to deal with now that I don't spend every other week with you." Arizona did her best to not show just how pissed she was at the fact her daughter had heard that. She explained to Sofia that sometimes adults said things that they didn't mean when they were tired and upset. She told Sofia that she should talk to Mami if what she heard her and Penny talk about ever made her feel bad and that she could call Arizona anytime she needed to if she was upset about something like that again.

When she discussed it with Meredith later that night, she explained how conflicted she felt about what Sofia had told her. She wanted nothing more than to call Callie and tell her that she needs to make sure whatever Penny's problem was that it didn't affect their daughter but she knew that would just cause an argument and make it seem like Arizona was interfering in their relationship.

Meredith agreed that confronting Callie wouldn't end well, especially, if she and Penny were having problems but made sure to reassure Arizona that she was doing the right thing by talking about it with Sofia. Arizona had made sure to speak with Sofia about how sometimes parents could have problems with the people they loved but that it didn't mean that it was ever their children's fault so she should never feel like she was responsible for anything. She also explained that Sofia should always talk to her and her Mami if she ever felt uncomfortable around either Penny or Meredith because Sofia would always be their first priority.

* * *

When Sofia returned to New York, Callie was once again regaled with tales from Seattle after they had gotten back to their apartment.

"Hey, little miss. How was your trip?"

"It was awesome Mami. Grandma and Grandpa was there and we all had a really big dinner at Aunt Mer's house. Uncle Alex played his guitar so we could have a dance party. Zola and me had a sleepover in my room that night. We looked at some houses with Grandma and Grandpa because they are moving to Seattle and one of them had a pool so I told them that was the house they should live in."

"That's awesome baby girl. Do you remember who all came to Aunt Meredith's besides Grandma and Grandpa?"

"Lots and lots of people Mami. Aunt Amy and the Chief Bones lady came. Aunt April and Harriet came. Uncle Alex was there. Tuck came with his Mama. Aunt Maggie was there too. Then some people just came for a little bit and went back to the hospital because Aunt Amy said they was just scrubs so it was okay to send them away after feeding them."

Callie chuckled a little at that because she knew that was something Amelia would say. "Anything else?"

"Nope, can I go play now?"

"Sure, mija." Callie watched her head down the hall and felt that odd sense of relief wash over her once again when she realized that her daughter hadn't been introduced to anyone new in her Momma's life. Callie wasn't sure why she always felt that way but she figured it was just her protective instincts because she wasn't there to make sure that anyone new was good enough to be around Sofia.

* * *

"Hey babe, you were looking for me?" Asked Meredith as she entered Arizona's office. Alex had mentioned that the blonde had been looking for her earlier not knowing that she had gotten pulled into an emergency surgery with Bailey and Wilson.

It was the second week in December and they had met with the Realtor a few times already and decided that to get the house they want they would have to build. They had even managed to get a list of properties they were planning on visiting this weekend since neither were on-call.

"Yes, do you have time for lunch? I ordered from the cafe across the street and sent an intern a few minutes ago to pick it up. I took a chance you would be free soon and ordered your usual."

"I had a surgery that was pushed back a few hours because of the emergency I was pulled into so I'm free until then." Meredith replied as she took a seat beside her girlfriend who was on the sofa already with a notepad in her lap. "What's this?"

"This is why I was looking for you. The architect called and we have a meeting on Wednesday morning to tell him what we have decided that we absolutely must have so that he can get started on a final design. So since you're free for lunch I figured we could start on a list."

"Sounds good. I can't believe we're actually doing this sometimes. You know what I mean?"

"It seems surreal to me too sometimes darling. This feels so right though and I love you Meredith and so we're doing this. Now, help me with this list."

"I love you too and we're definitely doing this. Tell me what you need and we'll start there."

They spent their break finishing not only their lunch but also their list before they had to get back to work.

Later that night they talked with Maggie to see what she had decided. They had given her the option of moving with them or staying at the house.

"I like the idea of being close to you all. I was thinking that if the property you decide on is big enough that I'd like to have a small guest house built on it. I met with your architect this afternoon actually. I hope you don't mind but I had the afternoon off and so I called and asked if he had time to see me. He showed me a few designs and I picked one that I loved actually. It's just what I would want and I can more than afford it."

"Each property we are looking at has more than enough space since that was a requirement but Maggie you won't be paying for anything." Arizona stated as she sat Ellis on her lap who had just crawled over from Meredith's.

"But you're building it for me and I can afford it, Arizona."

"Maggie," Meredith replied, "we're paying and that's final. We would have built something whether you decided to move in or not. We already talked about building a small two bedroom guest house, a large garage with an apartment above it, or both actually. You'll eventually want to start a family of your own and move out and we can use either place to entice a nanny with."

"I'll agree to pay half and for the furnishings and that's my final offer. Meredith, I've lived here basically rent free for over a year and I'm not looking to start a family anytime soon so I could be there for years to come so please let me do this."

Meredith and Arizona exchanged a look and then Arizona answered, "Okay, half the building cost and you furnish it how you want."

"Deal," Maggie exclaimed. "I'm headed to bed now because I have an early day tomorrow."

Arizona and Meredith talked for a little while and played with Ellis after Maggie had gone upstairs. They were hoping to wear the little one down so she would finally go to sleep.

"Come on babe," Meredith said as she stood up and took Ellis. "Let's get this one to bed too. I can't believe Zola and Bailey went down before her tonight but the daycare did say she had a rather late nap."

Arizona stood up and was about to step away to make sure everything was locked up while Meredith put Ellis to bed when both her and Meredith froze in place because Ellis had reached back for Arizona and said 'Momma'!

Wide eyes met one another as Meredith turned around to face the stunned blonde.

"Did she just…" Arizona trailed off as she looked back and forth from Ellis to Meredith.

"I think so," Meredith said right before Ellis reached for Arizona a second time as she said 'Momma' again.

"Oh my god," Arizona whispered as she took Ellis and held her close while staring at a smiling Meredith. "How do you feel about this?"

"Well, it was bound to happen I think. You've been like a parent to them and she hears Sofia call you that a lot now when she's here and over Skype. Are you okay with it?"

"I love them Meredith and you know that, just like I know you love Sofia. I'm just shocked is all."

"They can decide to call you whatever they like and I'll be fine with it. I know that you're not trying to replace Derek in their life since you help me remind them about how great their dad was all the time. Hell, you do the same thing for Sofia with Mark still and I think that's awesome. We're in this for the long run Arizona and we knew that included raising our children together so to me that makes you their parent now too."

"I love you so much Meredith Grey that I think I'll marry you someday." Arizona winked at her before pulling her in for quick kiss.

"That's something we can talk about again before we move into our new house but for now let's put this little one to bed so that I can show you just what you do to me when you say things like that." Meredith replied as she laced her fingers with Arizona's and pulled her upstairs.

* * *

A week before Christmas they had approved the final drafts for all three structures being built on their new property. They were surprised when the Realtor called a few days after they had visited the first list of properties. They hadn't liked the driving distance from any of those to work and now she had asked them to meet her not far from Meredith's house. When they arrived they were confused at first because this looked like a huge fenced off soon to be construction zone not the expected vacant lot. It was actually supposed to be the site for a new mini mall but after the investor had purchased the six residential properties and had the houses demolished two of his investors bailed so now he was just trying to recoup his money for the lots and having to eat the cost of demolition. It was perfect so they made an offer that was accepted right away.

They spent the two weeks Sofia was with them for Christmas and New Year's surrounded by family and friends. Arizona and Meredith still had to work of course but they both managed to get the day before and of Christmas off and the same for New Year's. They had family and friends over on those days and no one was surprised to see how good the women had become at managing four children while seeming to never take their eyes off one another. The love was clear to see and everyone was happy to witness it. They all knew how hard these two had it for awhile and knew that if anyone deserved a second chance at a happily ever after it was them.

Ellis had continued to call Arizona 'Momma' like Sofia while Bailey had adapted that to 'Momma Zona' while Zola had continued to call her 'Aunt Zona' while an occasional 'Momma Zona' slipped out. Sofia pretty much stuck to calling Meredith 'Aunt Mer' but sometimes a 'Mommy' would slip by since she heard Zola, Bailey, and Ellis say it. Arizona had actually asked Sofia if she was okay with the the other children calling her 'Momma' only to be laughed at by Sofia before she said, "Silly Momma that's who you are!"

Arizona and Meredith had agreed that they wouldn't want to miss out on Christmas with the kids and so they agreed to invite Callie and Penny to Christmas dinner. Arizona had mentioned the invite in the email a week before Sofia's flight out as they were exchanging info for the two week visit.

 _To: Dr. Callie Torres_

 _From: Dr. Arizona Robbins_

 _The flight info is in the attachment. Listen Callie, I know we haven't spoken much since you left but I couldn't imagine not seeing Sofia on Christmas so why don't you and Penny come out and spend the day with us or if you want maybe we could make arrangements to split the day or something. I'm willing to work with you on this, okay. So just let me know so I can tell Meredith if we need to expect more guests for dinner. ~Arizona_

 _To: Dr. Arizona Robbins_

 _From: Dr. Callie Torres_

 _Thanks but Penny has work. I'll be in Miami with dad for business on my only days off. I'll call her on Christmas and New Year's._

By now, Arizona was used to the impersonal responses and so wasn't too surprised her offer was turned down. Sofia had told her how she and Mami had Christmas before her visit and would have a New Year's party for the two of them when she got home. Arizona had hoped that Callie would come so that maybe they could have an actual conversation regarding things in their life since there had been some pretty big things happen on her side since they said goodbye that day in the airport.

* * *

Meredith and Arizona had decided not to get one another anything for Christmas since they had just bought property together and signed off on the design of their new home. However, they learned after they had put the kids to bed Christmas Eve night that neither one had stuck to their bargain.

As they snuggled together on the sofa that night after placing the presents out for the kids, Meredith traced random patterns on Arizona's thigh which seemed to be a habit she had developed any time they ended up in this position.

"I know we agreed to no presents but I have something for you." Meredith said as she reached over and pulled a card board tube out from under the sofa.

"I thought we agreed to not get one another anything since we just gave each other a dream home."

"Just open it," Meredith replied as she sat up so the blonde had the room to move.

Arizona pulled the lid off the tube and slide out what looked like the blueprints to their home.

"You're given me blueprints to the house?" Arizona questioned a little confused by why Meredith was giving her these since they had just saw them together a few days ago.

"Arizona, babe, just open them and look at them."

Arizona laid the blueprints on the coffee table in front of them and began flipping through them but when she got to the last two pages she realized that these weren't there the other day. It looked like one was an aerial view of their property and where each building would sit but there was an area in the back that had what looked like a fenced in playhouse. She flipped to the next page and saw that it was the design for some sort of small building.

Meredith just grinned as she watched the cute face Arizona made when she was confused while she bite her lip and tilted her head to the side flipping back and forth between the two new pages trying to puzzle it out.

"Okay, I give. What is this supposed to be?" Arizona finally replied.

"Well, where did you think we were going to keep the chickens? I mean we can't just let them run loose right."

"Oh my god, it's a chicken coop!"

"Yeah, I called Steve the other day after we left his office and had him do this. He said it was his pleasure since we have been a treat to work with. He said that he'd even talk to the head construction guy and the landscaper. It shouldn't cost anything either since it could be built with leftovers and cut-off pieces, whatever the heck that means."

Arizona just launched herself at Meredith and wrapped her arms around her while burying her head in between her neck and shoulder. Meredith just hugged her back with a huge smile on her face until she heard a tiny sniffle and pulled back enough to see tears in Arizona's eyes.

"What's wrong? I thought this would make you happy because it sure seemed like it would when you described where you saw us in a year's time."

"Nothing's wrong, sweetheart. I didn't think I could love you more but then you do things like this and it makes me fall even more in love with you. Thank you." Arizona replied before crashing her lips against Meredith's for a passionate kiss until air became a necessity for them.

Standing up and lacing her fingers with her girlfriends Arizona started slowly leading her to their room. "I have to confess that I may have gotten you something too. Do you remember right after I moved in Amelia and Abigail decided it would be funny to give us a gift card to that adult toy store downtown because you drunkenly admitted that you had always fantasized about wearing a certain toy but had never been in a position to try it. Well, I'll gladly try any position you want me to, if you agree to do the same for me."

Meredith's eyes grew wide before she smirked and replied, "Then why the hell are we going so slow. Come on." Before practically dragging Arizona the rest of the way to their room.

* * *

Sofia cried this time when she left right after New Year's and it broke Meredith's heart to see them tearfully saying goodbye in the airport as much as it did Arizona's to send her baby girl off with tears in her eyes. Even though Sofia had calmed down on the six hour flight, Callie could still tell how upset she was when she met her and the nanny. Her nanny, Vivian, spoke with Callie a few minutes and explained that Arizona had done her best to calm Sofia down before they boarded and that she had continued to calm her on the plane. Callie thanked her for her efforts and wished her a safe return trip. She could only imagine what Arizona was paying her since she usually made these flights back to back and she sure didn't want to be on a plane for over 12 hours.

Sofia really wasn't in a talkative mood for the first few days after her return and wasn't that into the small celebration that Callie had planned for them to celebrate New Year's together. The day before she went back to school Callie took her over to Central Park to try and cheer her up since she knew it was her daughter's favorite place in the city. She really wasn't ready for the response she got from Sofia when she asked what they could do to cheer her up though.

"Mija, what can I do to help cheer you up? I miss those pretty dimples you show off when you smile for me."

"Take me home Mami. I want to go home."

"I thought you wanted to come to the park mija?"

"NO! Sorry Mami, I just want to go home."

"Okay, Sof' we'll head back to the apartment. Penny should be home soon too."

"I don't want to go to the apartment or see Penny. Mami, I want to go home to Momma."

"Sof' this is home now remember we talked about this."

"I remember you was sad and Momma said that she wanted you to be happy and this was to make you happy Mami but now I'm sad when I have to leave Momma."

"Oh Sof'," Callie said as she pulled her into her arms and held her close. "I know it's sad to leave Momma but you get to see her and you talk to her everyday still. How about we go back now and you can call and see if you can Skype with her?"

"Okay Mami, but when can we go home to Momma to stay?"

Callie not knowing what to say just held her tight and answered, "I don't know baby but we'll figure it out okay."

Later that night Callie stood outside Sofia's door and listened to Arizona singing softly to Sofia before they ended their call. Callie hadn't meant to eavesdrop but she didn't even know that Sofia was still awake since she had put her to bed over an hour ago. She figures that Sofia must have called her because she was still upset and missed her Momma. Callie wiped the tears from her face as she headed back into the living room since for some reason she really didn't feel like climbing into bed beside Penny. As she sat there, Callie couldn't help but realize that was the first time she has heard Arizona's voice in months and this was the first time that she was starting to wonder if she had done the right thing.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was the first week in February and Arizona had just been paged to Chief Bailey's office.

"You needed to see me Chief?" she asked as soon as she entered the other woman's office.

"Yes, take a seat Dr. Robbins." Miranda motioned towards the chair directly in front of her desk and waited for Arizona to be seated before continuing. "Now, before we start just know that I tried to avoid this but there is unfortunately no way around it. Dr. Avery has quite a unique case and it requires him to consult with a craniofacial surgeon."

Arizona felt her heart drop a little hearing that. Surely Miranda didn't mean that…

"He's contacted Dr. Lauren Boswell and she'll be here later today. I wanted to let you know out of the respect I have for you Arizona and as your friend not just as the Chief. She'll more than likely be here at least 3 days if not the entire week."

Arizona was not sure how she felt about this news. While she regretted what she had done, she knew that it had meant nothing to her and neither did the woman that it happened with. In a way, she was also somewhat relieved that Callie wasn't here because that would've been all kinds of tense but she knew she needed to talk to Meredith soon. Preferably before she ran into Dr. Boswell and was blindsided by her being here.

"Thanks for the warning Miranda. It is, what it is, I guess. She is an exceptional surgeon and we shouldn't let my personal issues affect our patients receiving the best possible care. Now, if that's all I really need to go find Meredith and have a talk with her."

"That's all Arizona and I'll do what I can to run interference between the two of you if you need me to."

"That shouldn't be necessary but thanks." Arizona said before heading off to see if she could find Meredith.

Unfortunately for her, she was paged to the ER by Maggie who had a patient 30 weeks pregnant with aortic stenosis and they rushed her into surgery before she had a chance to find Meredith so she sent her a text quickly before scrubbing in.

 _Need to tell you something. Scrubbing in with Maggie now in OR 4._

Right after they started their procedure Arizona's phone buzzed in her pocket. She looked over and noticed one of the new interns and asked her to grab her phone out of her pocket and read the text for her.

 _Find you when I'm done in OR 2 with GSW._

After Arizona and Maggie finished up and scrubbed out, Maggie headed to post-op with the patient while Arizona headed to the surgical board to see if Meredith had been pulled into another surgery since she wasn't in OR 2 anymore.

As she rounded the corner, she saw Meredith leaning against the wall staring at something down the hall. As she stepped up beside her, she noticed exactly what or rather who Meredith was staring at. Lauren Boswell was standing in front of the surgical board talking with none other than Leah Murphy.

Glancing at the blonde quickly Meredith said, "Please, tell me that I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing."

"Yeah, that's what I needed to tell you. Chief Bailey called me in this morning to give me a heads up and I was pulled into surgery before I could tell you."

"Arizona, I'm standing here trying to wrap my mind around the fact that you've slept with both of those women. I know how you feel about those times in your life and I'm not worried about you wanting either of them ever again but seeing them there together just really has my jealous possessive side wanting to take you right here in this hall so they know to stay the hell away from what's mine." Meredith said with a fire burning in her eyes.

Arizona for her part just wrapped her arms around Meredith's waist leaning in to speak softly into her ear after pressing a quick kiss to her neck right over her pulse point, "God, when you look at me like that and say things like you just did, I want to let you fuck me right here in this hall to claim me. I love _**you**_ Meredith Grey and _**no one**_ from my past can change that because you are my present and my future."

"Let's go!" Meredith snapped playfully as she stepped back and grabbed Arizona's hand and started pulling her down the hall towards the elevator that had just opened right by the women who had sparked this conversation. "You can't say things like that to me Arizona Robbins when I want you this bad. I can't wait until we get home so we're going to put that bed in your en-suite to good use right fucking now!"

"Yes ma'am," Arizona said cheekily as they stepped into the elevator not noticing the shocked looks on both of the other womens' faces right before Meredith pulled her into a very passionate kiss before the doors closed.

Breaking the kiss right before the door opened up on the floor to Arizona's office Meredith continued, "I wasn't kidding let's go. We can talk about this after."

After Meredith collapsed on top of her, Arizona kissed her sweaty forehead before Meredith rolled over to snuggle into her side.

"This is not how I envisioned things would go when Miranda told me that woman was here."

"I have no issue with you and her Arizona except knowing she's slept with you. What happened between you and her was messed up, that's true. But it's not something that has any effect on how I see you or feel about you. To me she came in and pursued you even though you told her you were married. You were also having a difficult time coming to terms with everything that had happened to you. I'm not making excuses for you cheating on Callie but that was between you and Callie. I'd imagine her reaction to seeing Boswell today would have been very different from mine."

"Oh, I can guarantee it would have been nowhere near as pleasurable for me. She would have stomped around the whole time Boswell was here and been unapproachable unless you were just looking to poke the bear."

"Well, we should shower and get back out there and see what rumors are flying around since I'm sure they've started. We weren't exactly subtle about what we were going to do as we left."

"So we're good?" questioned Arizona as they headed to her shower.

"Yes, baby, we're good. Well, as long as those two stay the hell away from you until this possessive need to show that you're mine goes away. I mean, as much as I wish we could, we can't just run to your en-suite to have sex all the time."

"Personally, I hope you never stop feeling the need to claim me since I admit to liking the idea of belonging to you very much Meredith Grey. Now, come on so you can claim me in the shower before someone comes looking for us."

* * *

"So I hear that you and Blondie were acting a little slutty today?" Amelia smirked as she entered the attendings lounge later and saw Meredith and Maggie chatting at a table with what looked like remnants of a late lunch lying in front of them.

"No idea what you're talking about," replied Meredith as she started cleaning up her mess barely containing the smile she was fighting as she heard Maggie snicker.

"Oh, I think you do dear sister," Amelia laughed as she sat at the table with them. "Murphy told Edwards all about your little show of dominance in front of her and Dr. Boswell. Good for you by the way, because apparently, the good Dr. was asking Murphy for the low down on your girlfriend. Ironic isn't it? That she'd ask Murphy of all people not knowing they had both partaken in the same goodies."

At hearing that and seeing Amelia wiggling her eyebrows too, Maggie burst out laughing before seeing the expression on Meredith's face, "Sorry Mer', but come on, that's just funny. I mean you have to see the humor in Dr. Boswell asking Murphy for information on Arizona. Because we all know Murphy still has the hots for Arizona even if she's too afraid of you to do anything about it."

"Oh, according to Edwards she has more than the hots for Arizona sister. Apparently, Murphy can't help but drunkenly extol the talents of our sister's lover and lament how she's not been able to find anyone that can get her off like Arizona could. You should have seen Edward's face when she told me what Murphy let slip a few weeks ago when she was drunkenly baring her soul to Edwards on her sofa. Murphy had turned up at Edwards' door explaining that her girlfriend had left her because she didn't seem to like hearing another woman's name uttered while she was going down on her girlfriend."

"Oh my gosh," Maggie exclaimed. "I don't know who to feel worse for, Edwards or the ex-girlfriend."

"Ugh," Meredith groaned as she gathered her things. "Why can't those two just forget about my girlfriend and stay the hell away from her? Now, thanks to you two, I have to go find Arizona again."

After the door closed behind Meredith, Amelia looked questioningly over to Maggie. "What's that about? I was just teasing her some in case she needed to talk or to vent, you know."

"Oh, she's going to vent alright," laughed Maggie. "Apparently, when she saw Dr. Boswell and Murphy talking this morning she realized that Arizona had slept with both of them and it kicked her jealous possessive side into overdrive and she dragged Arizona away to her en-suite to assert herself so to speak."

"Oh, well that would explain the scene Murphy was telling Edwards about then," chuckled Amelia before turning serious again. "Seriously though, is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's not worried about Dr. Boswell being here. She said she trusts Arizona completely and that her and Arizona had already talked about everything that happened back then. Apparently, there was a lot happening with Arizona and Callie that wasn't really public knowledge and she wouldn't really tell me anything except that her and Arizona are good. Well, except that she's developed this need to claim Arizona very publicly whenever anyone shows the slightest hint of interest for what's hers."

Amelia burst out laughing at that, "Oh, that's going to make things interesting for at least the next week then since Jackson just told me that's how long Boswell will be here."

* * *

Later that night as Arizona crawled into bed beside Meredith she asked, "Not that I'm complaining but what sparked you to drag me into that on-call room this afternoon?"

"Ugh, sorry about that," Meredith reached over and lay her head on Arizona's chest and started absent mindedly tracing patterns on her stomach. "Me and Maggie had just finished that late lunch when Amelia came in and asked about what happened this morning since she overheard Murphy telling Edwards. She preceded to tell us how Murphy drunkenly showed up at Edwards after Murphy's girlfriend left her for saying your name while the girlfriend was going down on her and proceeded to tell Edwards how she hasn't found anyone that can get her off like you did."

"Oh my god! I don't even know what to think about that, let alone say," Arizona said as she ran her hand through Meredith's hair. "So that set off your possessive streak again and that's why you ended up dragging me into the on-call room."

"Yep, I'm not sure where this is coming from because I've never felt the need to mark my territory so to speak. I just really want everyone to understand that you're mine and that I'm yours and that this isn't just some fling or whatever else they may think. I mean for God's sake we're building a house together and raising our kids together but apparently Murphy is waiting on something to happen between us so she can make a move on you. Lauren Boswell even asked her if you were seeing anyone."

"Baby, what matters is that we know that this is real and we're not going anywhere unless it's with one another. I love you and have no interest in anyone besides you. Let them wait and pine away while we live an awesome life together." Arizona said before pulling Meredith up into a sweet kiss before saying, "Besides jealous possessive you is freaking hot and seriously turns me on. Now, why don't I show you just how much."

* * *

The rest of February passed quickly after that week Dr. Boswell was there.

Arizona spoke with Sofia everyday and they Skyped as much as possible. This was the longest stretch of time that she had went without having Sofia in Seattle since her and Callie left a little over 8 months ago and she wouldn't be back until Spring Break. Arizona had thought about flying out there to see the little miss for a weekend but her schedule had been packed and she hadn't managed to get the time off. Besides the emails or text messages Arizona exchanged with Callie regarding Sofia's trips, no one had heard from Callie at all.

The construction on their home was moving along right on schedule and the builder had informed them that they should be able to move in around the middle of June. It was the first week in March now and they had two weeks until Sofia's next visit. Her and Meredith had been together a little over 7 months now if you didn't count the year they spent dating while not actually dating. They still argued playfully over that.

Arizona had picked the kids up and brought them home earlier since Meredith had gotten pulled in as they were about to leave on a bad MVA that had also managed to pull Karev, Maggie, Amelia, and Abby in too. Arizona knew it had to be bad to involve them all. She spent the afternoon with the kids making dinner and playing around after she had helped Zola with an assignment that was giving her a little trouble. Arizona loved these times. She couldn't love these kids more and couldn't wait for Sofia to get here since she really missed her more than usual on afternoons like this. She had just gotten them all to bed and was sitting on the sofa reading a medical journal when she heard someone come in the front door.

"Arizona?"

"Living room," she replied back to Meredith. "Hey you," she said as she watched Meredith approach. She could see the worry written all over the other woman's face and opened her arms and shifted before Meredith practically fell into them.

After a few minutes of just holding her lover she pulled back so she could look at her and asked gently, "What's wrong sweetheart? Was the case that bad?"

"It was really bad and it just hit me really hard because that could have easily been happening to us."

"What do you mean? What happened?" Arizona asked as she shifted Meredith so that they lay facing one another on the sofa so she could keep her arms around her upset girlfriend.

Meredith leaned in and placed a sweet simple kiss on her lips before beginning her recount.

"The MVA we were all pulled in on involved a female couple, AJ and Emily, and their 4 year old son, Daniel. Apparently, AJ meet Emily a little over two years ago when Emily moved here with Daniel for work after his father was killed overseas. They were friends at first, then lovers, and have been raising Daniel together happily ever since. Until tonight. They were blinded sided on Emily and Daniel's side of their SUV. AJ has a few broken ribs and a shattered femur that Abby repaired easily and some really deep lacerations that Jackson took care of but Emily will more than likely not make it through the night and if she does Amelia doesn't look for her to ever regain consciousness. Daniel had severe internal trauma but Karev and Maggie worked wonders and he'll be fine."

"What else?" Arizona prompted after Meredith was silent for a minute while she collected herself.

"Apparently, Emily's parents didn't approve of her seeing AJ and since they are legally her next of kin they aren't being very co-operative. They refused to listen to anything AJ had to say about Emily not wanting to remain on life support and are transferring her closer to their home in Tacoma and taking Daniel with them since AJ has no legal right to him. They even refused to allow her to say goodbye to the boy she considers her son."

"That's terrible but unfortunately, it happens when parents can't accept that their children love a little different than they expected them to but you know legally, the hospital has to do as requested by the next of kin," Arizona said as she wiped at the tears that had escaped from Meredith's now closed eyes before placing a light kiss to each eyelid before Meredith opened her eyes and continued.

"I know but when I saw the hurt on AJ's face when HR told her that she wasn't allowed to see Daniel and that Emily was being moved it made me realize that could have easily been us. I mean, the not having a legal say in medical decisions and things like it because my sisters wouldn't stop you from seeing the kids but, I want to make sure if something ever happened we'll be covered. So how do we fix this?"

"There's several things we can do actually and some we should do anyways. We should go update our living wills to give one another our health care proxy, and see the hospital lawyer about new wills now that we've bought property and built a house together. We can even see a family attorney and see what we need to do concerning the kids if you want to make sure that I have visitation of them."

"Arizona, I don't just want you to have visitation of them if something happened to me. I want you to have custody of them permanently. I love Maggie but she's not their other parent. She's their aunt just like Amelia. They call you Momma and I want to make that as legal as possible if you want that too of course."

Now, it was Arizona's turn to have tears escape her eyes, "I'd be honored."

"Then marry me," Meredith said quietly. "Then we could use second parent adoption for Zola, Bailey, and Ellis, right? Plus, that'll take care of everything legal concerning one another too."

"Did you just ask me to marry you?" Arizona smiled at Meredith.

"Yes, I love you Arizona and this feels so right. We don't have to make a big deal out of it because we both know one another well enough to know that neither one of us care for the big and flashy wedding scene. Let's just go down to the courthouse with the kids while Sofia's here and just do it. We can take Maggie and Alex as our witnesses. So Arizona Robbins, will you marry me?"

"Yes, Meredith Grey, I will marry you," Arizona answered before she pulled Meredith into a deep kiss. After she pulled back she placed her forehead against Meredith's and looked into the eyes she frequently got lost in and continued, "I love you and I would be honored to call you my wife."

They spent the rest of the night celebrating in a very sweaty, naked way.

* * *

Before Sofia arrived two weeks later, they had gone ring shopping together and had pulled Maggie and Alex aside to ask them to be their witnesses both of which agreed right away and offered their congratulations. Meredith had also pulled Amelia to an empty on-call room and informed her of their plans. Amelia was happy for her and understood Meredith wanting to pursue the second parent adoption and explained that she knew how hard both Arizona and Meredith tried to make sure the kids remembered Derek so she was okay with it.

The day Sofia arrived Arizona sat her down and explained that she loved Meredith very much and that they were going to get married. Sofia was curious if this would make her and Zola sisters finally. Arizona did her best to explain that she would be adopting Zola, Bailey, and Ellis soon but that it didn't mean she loved Sofia any less but that it would make them all one big family. She said it also made her a big sister and that meant that her and Zola had responsibilities as big sisters and they should always do their best to look after one another and Bailey and Ellis.

Sofia asked some questions but not as many as Arizona had expected. She asked if that meant that her grandparents would be their Grandma and Grandpa now too. Then she asked if that meant that Abuelo was their Abuelo too but Arizona explained that Carlos was her Mami's dad and so that made him only Sofia's Abuelo. She asked if it made Meredith her Mommy too but Arizona explained that she would be her step-parent since Sofia already had two parents and that she could keep calling her 'Aunt Mer' if she wanted too. She said if her Mami and Penny ever got married it would be the same way with Penny.

Sofia shocked Arizona when she said that she didn't think her Mami and Penny were happy enough to get married and that she heard her Mami and Penny talking about if they would stay in New York when Penny's grant was up in July. She told Arizona that Penny wanted to stay but that Mami wasn't sure because Sofia really wanted to go home to her Momma for good. They talked loudly in their room that night and that she was mad at Penny because she made her Mami cry that night. Arizona did her best to assure Sofia that none of that was her fault and that whatever Mami decided to do it was her choice and that Sofia and Arizona would be okay no matter what her Mami decided to do.

A few days before they were supposed to go to the courthouse, Arizona and Meredith took the kids to the build site for the first time. They explained that when it was done that it would be their new house and showed them some drawings that the decorator had sent over for them to approve so that the kids had a better idea of what they were seeing. They even showed the kids where the chicken coop would be and that when the time came they could all pick the chickens out together. That night before the kids went to bed Meredith had taken Sofia out on the porch and sat with her on the back deck to talk while Maggie and Arizona were cleaning up the kitchen after dinner.

"Sofia, I need to ask you an important question okay and I need you to tell me the truth no matter what. Promise?"

"I promise Aunt Mer' cause Momma says it's always important to tell the truth no matter what."

"I love your Momma very much and I want to marry her but I need to ask you if it's okay for me to marry your Momma," Meredith explained. "Even though I love your Momma little miss, I love you too and if you don't feel okay with me marrying your Momma it's okay to tell me that. Because I will always want to know how you feel okay?"

"You can marry Momma if you want to Aunt Mer' because she is really happy now and I like her being happy. She was really sad for a long time and really, really sad when Mami moved me to New York so she could find her happy with Penny but now she's really, really happy again because of you."

"Thank you little miss and I promise to always do my best to make your Momma really happy," Meredith said before hugging the little girl. "Now, how about you little one, are you happy?"

"I'm really happy when I get to come home to Momma and you guys too now but I miss her when I go back to Mami's in New York. I still want Mami to come home to Seattle because I like it better here and I know she'll be sad when it's time for me to come live with Momma again but Aunt Mer' I'm NOT going back again if Mami stays there. She can come see me or she can come home but I don't want to go back to live there again."

"Well, little miss when the time comes to decide about that me and your Momma will talk to you and Mami about it okay?"

After Sofia nodded her head Meredith asked, "Okay well, is there anything else you want to talk about or ask me?"

"Now that you and Momma are getting married are we getting a new brother or sister because when my friend's mom got married she got a new brother in her mom's belly?"

"Ugh, that's something that your Momma and I haven't talked about but how would you feel if we did get a new baby?"

"I think it would be awesome but since I gots two sisters and a brother now it would be okay if Momma didn't gets a baby in her belly."

"Well, whether we decide to have a baby or not, that's good to know," chuckled Meredith. "Now, let's get you inside so we can help get ready for bed time."

When Meredith stood up and turned around she saw Arizona standing just inside the back door tears running down her face but with her magical dimpled smile on full display.

Arizona wiped the tears off quickly and turned her attention to her little girl, "Okay baby, it's time to get upstairs and ready for bed. Go on, Aunt Maggie is up there helping the others and we'll be right there I just need to talk to Aunt Mer' a minute."

"Okay Momma. Love you, hurry up so that you can read me the next chapter in our book."

After Sofia disappeared up the stairs, Arizona pulled Meredith in for a kiss that left them both breathless.

When they broke apart Meredith asked, "How much of that did you hear?"

"Pretty much all of it since you left the door open but I walked over right before little miss dropped that bomb about NOT going back to New York. I love you Meredith Grey and watching you with her just makes me love you more. We can talk about that bomb and the new baby thing later if you want to but right now let's go get our kids to bed so that I can show you just how much I love you."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A few days later Arizona and Meredith stood in front of the Justice of the Peace and were married in front of their kids, Maggie, Alex, and Amelia even showed up with Abigail Freeland in tow. The sisters then surprised them with a suite at the Grand Hyatt for the next two nights. They had cleared their schedules for a few days anyways and so now they could celebrate without little ears around to hear explained Amelia. When they returned home, they spent as much time with Sofia as a family as they could before they had to take her to the airport.

When Sofia and Callie got back to the apartment that night, Callie waited on the usual rundown of events and wasn't disappointed.

"How was your trip Mija?"

"It was awesome, Mami!" Sofia exclaimed.

"What made it so awesome baby girl?"

"Momma is really, really happy and so is everyone at home. We got to see where Momma is going to keep her chickens and Aunt Amy and Aunt Maggie took us to the aquarium and the zoo while Momma and Aunt Mer' was gone. Then when they got back we had family time and built a big pillow fort to sleep in after we ate pizza and watched Frozen."

"That's great mija," smiled Callie confused about the chicken comment. How in the heck could Arizona keep chickens at her apartment? "Why don't we go put your things away and get ready for bed? You've had a long day and tomorrow we can go to the park and have a Mami and Sofia day before you go back to school on Monday okay."

After Sofia was asleep Callie lay in bed alone because, of course Penny was working. She was always working and when she wasn't they barely spent time together where they didn't argue about something. The most arguments were about the fact that Callie wasn't sure if staying in New York after Penny's grant was done was what she wanted to do. She was starting to think that this move hadn't really been her best idea. Sofia still referred to Seattle as home and they had lived here for almost 9 months now.

She was really starting to realize just how impulsive this decision had been on her part. Not to mention the fact, that she was also missing Seattle but more importantly, she was missing a certain blonde in Seattle. She only knew what she could piece together from Sofia's recounts of her trips. She hadn't even spoken with anyone from Seattle since she left. She was afraid of their reaction to her just basically bailing on everyone and everything to chase a resident across the country after she had let her lawyer tear into Arizona's character, especially when Arizona had turned out to be the bigger person by letting Callie take Sofia and try to be happy.

* * *

Arizona and Meredith didn't hide the fact that they had gotten married. They wore their wedding rings and even filed the appropriate paperwork with the hospital HR department and the lawyers. Their immediate friends knew most of which were on the board of directors so there wasn't really a need to make an official announcement to the board.

They had agreed to hyphenate their names to Robbins-Grey so that people would start thinking of them as the couple they were and not as Callie's cheating ex-wife or Derek's widow. Well, at least that's what Meredith had told Amelia and Maggie when asked why they changed names this time when neither had done that previously. Secretly, Meredith told Arizona it was her possessive side kicking in while Arizona had admitted to that side of her wife turning her on so having to sign her name for the near future was liable to make her a little wet.

The hospital gossip mill had been pretty quiet about them getting married for the first few days after they came back to work after Sofia left. Some had noticed the rings and so rumors floated around about a possible engagement but news spread like crazy on their third day back.

Meredith had spent the morning in the OR and was now looking for Arizona to see if she had time to grab lunch across the street at the cafe. After checking the blonde's office, she headed to the surgical board to see if she had gotten pulled into an emergency. Bailey had asked if they were okay with her continuing to use Grey and Robbins on her OR board to avoid any confusion and then joked their names were too damn long now and would just waste her valuable time to write it all out anyways.

After seeing that she had indeed gotten pulled into an OR, Meredith headed that way to see if she would be done anytime soon. She opened the OR door while holding a mask across her face and noticed they seemed to be wrapping up. She glanced from Karev, to Murphy, and finally settling her eyes on Arizona.

"Are you almost done?" questioned Meredith when Arizona looked up to see who had entered.

"Yeah, actually, I am and then Karev can watch Murphy close. What's up?"

"I was just looking to take my beautiful wife to lunch if she could spare the time." Meredith smirked as she noticed Murphy's eyes widen hysterically before the stunned younger blonde whipped her head over to look at Arizona before she blurted out "Wife?"

Seeming to not notice the outburst or the fact that Murphy was staring at her waiting on an answer Arizona replied, "Oh, I think that can be arranged Dr. Robbins-Grey since your _**wife**_ is starving because someone decided to cause her to lose track of time in the shower this morning and so she skipped breakfast. Just give me about 15 minutes to hand this over to Karev, scrub out, and go grab my things and I'll meet you in the lobby."

"Okay, that'll give me a chance to peek in on the kids before we go," Meredith said before backing out the door with an amused smile on her face.

By the time they returned from lunch, news had spread like a wildfire. They weren't surprised when Amelia knocked on Meredith's office door later that day while they were looking over the email from the family lawyer they had hired to start looking into the adoption process.

"So, I hear you walked into an OR today and broke Murphy's heart by dropping the bomb of your nuptials," smirked Amelia as she stood across from them. "Poor girl ran straight to Edwards to cry on her shoulder."

"You're messing with us right?" questioned Arizona as she closed the laptop after saving the email.

"Nope, I'm telling the honest to God's truth. We were going over scans for an upcoming procedure when she stormed in and recounted the story before bursting into tears. Apparently, she had been holding out hope and you walked into that OR and shattered it." Amelia laughed backing up towards the door and grabbing the knob getting ready to bolt before she continued. "But damn, am I glad that we passed out before we fucked Arizona because apparently, you give such amazing orgasms to women that you ruin them for the rest of their lives."

Then she bolted leaving a stunned Arizona and an amused Meredith who looked at Arizona and laughed lightly before saying, "As much as I want to kill her for that, I have to agree with her too. You do give amazing orgasms and I'm totally ruined for life now."

Arizona smiled coquettishly at her before pulling her on to her lap. She wrapped her arms around her wife, nuzzled her neck and then placed a small kiss to her pulse point before replying, "Well, it's a good thing you married me then isn't it? Now, you'll have me and my amazing skills for the rest of our lives."

* * *

The month of April seemed to drag by for them because they stayed so busy. Sofia wasn't due for another visit until the last week in May when school let out for the summer. She would stay for two weeks and then spend the summer with Callie before she returned home at the beginning of August before school starts. Hopefully, for good this time. They had talked it over and if Sofia stayed adamant about not returning to New York if Callie stayed there then they would sit down with Callie and figure it out even if they had to go to New York to do so.

Arizona and Abigail had settled into a new dynamic since they worked together and saw a lot of one another outside the hospital. Mainly, because things between Abigail and Amelia were still going strong. While the rivalry was still there, they kept it out of their personal lives and appeared more like frenemies to the casual observer but they had agreed to be friends. Plus, if Abigail had her way, they'd be sister-in-laws one day.

So when Abigail and Amelia approached them on the last weekend in April and asked if they wanted to go out for a night on the town, Arizona and Meredith agreed quickly as long as Maggie wouldn't mind watching the kids. Nor, did they think anything of it when Abigail mentioned that her younger sister was in town visiting and she'd love to help since she'd just be a fifth wheel if she went out with the two couples or be stuck home alone if she didn't.

They had a wonderful night at dinner followed by drinks where they learned that Abigail's younger sister, Samantha who preferred Sam, was actually here to apply for the new fetal fellowship with Arizona. She had finished a fellowship in pediatrics last year under Arizona's mentor at Hopkins. She had hoped to mentor under Dr. Herman as well but was very impressed with Arizona. Plus, she was looking to relocate to Seattle anyways. Arizona was excited to meet with her Monday because she sounded like an excellent candidate for her first fetal fellowship.

The meeting between them came a lot sooner however. Arizona and Meredith had arrived home a little earlier than Maggie had expected them apparently, because when they stepped inside they found a topless Maggie astride an equally topless brunette on the sofa and neither of the topless women had noticed their entrance. Meredith just shook her head and winked at Arizona before addressing the pair.

"As glad as I am that you're finally getting some that doesn't involve the use of batteries," said Meredith startling the pair and causing Maggie to jump up and scramble for her shirt while the brunette just sat there amused not bothering to try and hide but thinking that the blonde looked familiar. "I have to say sister that I'd prefer you moved the show to your room. I mean, not that I don't appreciate a gorgeous topless woman on my sofa every now and then but I do prefer it to be me who's under my gorgeous topless wife."

"Uh, sorry I didn't expect you back this soon," Maggie stammered as she pulled on her shirt before noticing that the brunette hadn't even bothered to look for hers. "Have you no shame woman? Put on your shirt!"

"Chill Mag's," the brunette replied before pulling her shirt over her head that Maggie had just tossed to her. "It's not like they haven't seen a nice rack before because from the looks of them, in those dresses, they definitely have. I'm Sam by the way, and I must say that when Amelia asked if I wanted to help her sister watch her nieces and nephew this isn't how I thought my night would go. I mean, I not only meet one hot woman, who is like my dream girl by the way, I meet three beautiful women."

Arizona couldn't help but chuckle before looking at Maggie, "Wow, you're gonna have your hands full with this one. In more ways then the one we just saw."

"Ugh, you seriously went there, babe," Meredith groaned but still had an amused look on her face. "I was trying not to think about where I just saw my sisters hands. I'm Meredith by the way, sister to your apparent dream girl and this is my wife Arizona."

"Oh my god! You're _**the**_ Dr. Arizona Robbins," Sam exclaimed and then grumbled out, "I'm going to kill my sister and her girlfriend when I get home."

"Let me guess, Amelia nor Abby bothered to tell you who we were?" Arizona asked while Meredith just looked on amusedly.

"No, they didn't mention anything like this. They said they both went through med school and did residency with you when I told them that I was coming out to interview for your new fetal fellowship. I mean, you would think Amelia would have mentioned that you're her sister-in-law. I met Maggie earlier today when I got here and mentioned how I'd like to get to know her better. So naturally, I jumped at the chance to help her tonight but they could have warned me that I was going to be walking into the house of the person I'm here to try and learn from so something like tonight wouldn't have happened," rambled Sam.

Meredith just laughed before saying, "Oh, I think they hoped something liked this would happen and that's exactly why they didn't tell you. Now, as amusing as this has been I'd really like to get upstairs and get my wife out of that dress and enjoy the rest of our date. We'll all just act like we've never seen you topless, under my sister, on our sofa come Monday morning when you show up at the hospital. Now, good night ladies."

Arizona just smirked at the other two before she followed her wife upstairs to check on the kids before they headed to their room. She knew things would be interesting with Sam around and hoped she would be the best candidate for the position.

"Come on," Maggie said as she grabbed Sam by the hand and lead her towards the stairs.

"Ugh, don't you think I should just go after that," Sam asked a little nervously now that she knew exactly whose house she was in.

"No, they are good with this and won't let it affect your chances at the fellowship," Maggie said as she resumed tugging Sam upstairs. "If they would have minded, they wouldn't have left you alone with me. Now, I'd really like to finish what we started before they showed up. I mean, I am kinda your dream girl right?"

"Definitely," Sam smiled as she followed the beautiful woman pushing thoughts of Monday right out of her head.

Before the end of the following week, Dr. Samantha Freeland had joined Grey-Sloan in the new fetal fellowship program working with _**the**_ Dr. Arizona Robbins-Grey.

* * *

It was nearing Sofia's next visit at the end of May, when she would spend two weeks since the school year was finally ending.

A few days before her visit, Arizona and Meredith were sitting in bed looking over the emails the decorator had sent earlier. They were looking over the furniture selections one last time so they could give their approval so that everything could be delivered and set up before the second week in June which was their move in date. They had hoped that they would be able to move in while Sofia was here but it seemed that they would miss that by about a week.

"So we've approved all the furnishings for the apartment above the garage and Maggie said she gave her final approval yesterday for the guest house. What's left?" Meredith asked as she sat propped up shoulder to shoulder with Arizona as they looked at Arizona's laptop.

"Well, we approved the four bedrooms and two bathrooms for the kids, the laundry/storage room, the guest bathroom, the dining room, the kitchen, and the living room last week. The office and the master bed and bath we approved yesterday. So that leaves the outdoor furniture for the back deck and the spare bedroom." Arizona said before pulling up the pictures that was sent of the patio furniture and suggested layout. "I actually love this set and the layout. What do you think?"

"Yeah, that's the one we agreed on in the beginning and I love how it's arranged. We should be able to see the back corner where the chickens will be if we go with this layout." Meredith pointed out as she lay her head on Arizona's shoulder.

"Okay, so that leaves the spare room," Arizona said after she sent off a quick reply approving the patio. "Then we're done."

"Since your parents finally moved into their place across town last month, and we have that empty apartment for guests, do we actually have to turn it into a guest room?"

"No, I was kinda hoping we didn't. I mean, I love that we decided to build the apartment and the guest house with Maggie. I like the idea of being able to have guests but not have them in the main house."

"Yeah, me too. So what do we do with that room then?" Meredith asked as Arizona started clicking through some designs that Eleanor their decorator recommended. "Wait, go back one. Yeah that one. Is that a nursery?"

"Yeah, Eleanor said she just sent some children friendly designs that she has done on rooms the same size since she knew we wasn't really sure what to do with that room yet. She said there were a few that she had done that were of a children's study that incorporated play time and study time needs really well too."

"Oh, okay I was wondering if you had changed your mind since we had that talk," Meredith said as she kissed Arizona's neck lightly. "You know if you decide that you want to try again that I am totally on board with that. I love you and we already have 4 wonderful kids and if you want to try for another I will be with you every step of the way."

"I know and I'm still undecided if I want to chance it," Arizona replied. "I'm almost 40 and you know that means greater risks not to mention what it would mean for my mobility. I don't know if I can handle another miscarriage. Plus, it's like you said we already have 4 wonderful kids. But Meredith, you would be the first person to know if I do decide that's something I want to do. I love you and if we decide to have another child it's a decision we make together."

"I love you too," Meredith answered. "Now let's see the pictures she sent of the children's study because I really like that idea."

They finally picked a design and gave the final approval over everything regarding their new home before they spent the rest of the night just holding one another.

* * *

The day Sofia arrived was very hectic. Arizona had gotten pulled into back to back emergency surgeries so wasn't able to meet her and Vivian at the airport like usual and Meredith was slammed because a building had collapsed in the early morning hours. It was all hands on deck in the ER and the trauma's had been steady all day as more people were found in the rubble. Instead, Vivian brought Sofia to daycare where the other three kids were waiting on one of them to finish up so they could go home.

Arizona ended up having to get her parents to come bring the kids home and get them settled because Vivian doesn't usually work for 24 hours after she makes the round trip flight and Meredith's usual nanny has the flu. They made it by the daycare to see Sofia for about 20 minutes before she left with the others. Arizona felt awful about how her first day back was turning out but on days like this she was very thankful for her parents and that they loved all four of the kids. They were very happy for Arizona when she told them Meredith had asked her about adopting Zola, Bailey, and Ellis and that they had already started the process and should have everything done by the end of summer.

Arizona and Meredith ended up staying at the hospital that night catching a few hours sleep in between surgeries in Arizona's en-suite. By the time things slowed down enough for them to leave each of them had been at the hospital for more than 36 hours. When they got home they tried to spend some time with the kids but Arizona's parents offered to take them to their house overnight because they could see just how exhausted both women were.

They reluctantly agreed since they knew they were dead on their feet and since they had the next few days off they could make it up to the kids. They ate the lunch Barbara sat aside for them before they shared a quick shower and proceeded to pass out as soon as they made it to bed and curled up into one another. Neither of them suspecting the drama that would be knocking on their door in the middle of the night.

* * *

When Callie got back to her apartment after dropping off Sofia that morning at the airport, she was very surprised to see Penny was at home.

"Hey, what are you doing here? I thought that you have that presentation this afternoon that you needed to prepare for," Callie asked as she noticed that Penny was looking through some papers that were scattered out on the small desk they shared.

"I'm missing part of my report and it was here last night but now I can't find it," Penny grumbled as she kept looking through the papers. "Don't just stand there help me look! I'm in deep trouble if I can't find it because the stupid laptop I had it on crashed this morning."

"I told you to back it up on a flash drive," Callie replied as she came over to help.

"I did that and I printed out a copy too but I can't find the damn thing or the missing pages of my report!" Penny was almost shouting now.

"Well, calm down and try to remember where you had it last," Callie tried to help since she knew Penny did this all the time, misplace things and freak out about it.

"Damn it Callie, I had it on the freaking desk where we keep all the important stuff we bring home," exclaimed Penny as she started looking frantically through the drawers now.

"We'll find it just calm down okay," Callie said as she placed a hand on Penny's shoulder trying to get her to stop a moment.

"There's no telling where it is since that little brat was sitting over here last night while she talked to her precious Momma," mumbled Penny but unfortunately for her Callie heard every word.

"What the hell did you just say?"

"Nothing, just help me look," sighed Penny. She hadn't meant to say that but lately she was realizing that she just wasn't as ready to be a parental figure as she had thought.

"I don't think so because I believe you just called my daughter a brat and I want to know what the hell you are thinking?"

"You really want to have this discussion now? I have to find this paper Callie and get to work. I don't have time for this crap now."

"You never have time and what discussion exactly," Callie started getting louder now too. "I think you've been pretty clear over the past 6 months how you feel about being around Sofia now that she's here everyday. I just can't believe I've been this freaking stupid. I can't believe I put us through the shit I have trying to make something work with you when clearly you're not ready for any of it. You freaking knew Sofia and I was a package deal."

"I knew that Callie. I knew that Sofia would always come first. I thought that was something I could handle and then you both moved here and I thought I would grow closer to her once she wasn't constantly around your precious ex-wife."

"That precious ex-wife is her mother and she has done nothing but try to make sure her relationship with our daughter doesn't suffer because I fucked up and acted irrationally all to follow you over 3,000 miles across the freaking country! I gave up everything I had worked so hard for and I've not spoken to any of my friends because I'm ashamed of how I acted when it could have all been avoided."

"I didn't ask you to do any of that! You had let me go and I accepted that and then you call two weeks after I get here and say we can work things out and then you just show up with Sofia in tow without even telling me she was coming with you!"

"Did you seriously think I would leave her behind? You know what, don't answer that. I'm done with this and I'm over it. I mean we've been arguing for months about whether we were moving back to Seattle or staying here and we both want different things so I'm done. I'll find a way to fix the shit I caused and to repair the bridges I burned but to do that I have to go home. I should have never left in the first place. I should have tried to fix things instead of trying to move on."

"You mean with Arizona right? You should have tried to fix things with her instead of trying to move on with me. God, I'm so tired of living in that woman's shadow between trying to do it with both you and Sofia it's exhausting. So go try to fix your mistakes and let me move on from mine!"

As Penny snatched up her purse the lost flash drive fell onto the floor, "Well, I have what I was looking for so I'm going now. I'll stay at the hospital for a few days so you can take care of whatever you need to do to get back to your ex-wife and daughter. Goodbye Callie."

After Penny left, Callie called a moving company and put her trust fund to good use since it only took 24 hours for their things to be packed into a pod and on their way to the storage facility she still had in Seattle. While the movers were busy at the apartment she went into the hospital and resigned from her position. When she negotiated the contract with them, her dad's lawyers had managed to slip a no-penalty clause into it in case it came a time Callie had to leave New York unexpectedly. When she returned to the apartment, she packed a bag and booked a ticket home so that she could hopefully find a way to fix the things she had destroyed.

Callie used the time on her flight to try and figure out how to go about fixing her messes. It was the middle of the night and knew just showing up at Arizona's apartment wouldn't be a good idea so figured Meredith's was her best option. She would try and apologize to her best friend and explain everything. Hopefully, she could crash there until she had a chance to find a place.

As soon as the cab dropped her off, she walked up and knocked on Meredith's front door and waited not expecting the reality she was about to find didn't exactly match the one she was looking for.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Mm, where are you going?" Meredith sleepily asked as she felt Arizona moving to get out of bed.

"Go back to sleep babe, I'll be right back hopefully, but I swear I heard knocking," Arizona said after she grabbed her crutches and headed downstairs.

Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard someone knocking on the door again. She hadn't notice Meredith had followed her yet either.

"Ugh, someone better be dying," she grumbled as she went over to open the door.

Meredith just smiled as she heard the comment as she paused on the bottom step. However, the next word out of her wife's mouth caused her pure shock for a moment. Shock that was mirrored in the tone of that one uttered word.

"Callie?" Arizona said shocked wondering what the hell she was doing here.

"Arizona?" Callie asked seemingly as shocked to find her ex-wife answering the door at Meredith's in the middle of the night.

"What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" Arizona asked confused now that the initial shock was wearing off. Wondering what could've happened to cause Callie to need to come for Sofia like this.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Callie asked just as confused now noticing that Arizona definitely looks like she just got out of bed.

By now, Meredith had made her way down to Arizona's side but was still standing behind the door where Callie couldn't see her. At hearing Callie's question she pulled the door open startling the other two a little since neither realized she was there. She stepped right next to Arizona and placed a comforting hand on her lower back before addressing the stunned Latina in front of them.

"She lives here, so where else would she be? So the better question is why are you here at 1 in the morning and not in New York? I mean you just ditched us all to run off with your girlfriend and haven't even bothered to call me, Arizona, or anyone else in over 11 months."

Looking to Arizona puzzled, Callie asked, "Why are you living here? What happened to your apartment?"

Arizona looked over at Meredith and they shared a look that spoke volumes as they both realized that Callie had no clue that they were together. Meredith tilted her head towards the living room and received a slight affirming nod in return before she turned her attention back to Callie.

"Come in," Meredith said, "since I don't think we need to be having _this_ talk standing in the doorway."

Arizona and Meredith headed to the living room and settled on the sofa side by side since they both needed the contact right now. Callie just pulled her bag in and left it by the stairs noticing the moving boxes stacked around the place before she joined them and stopped as soon as she noticed how close they seemed.

"Sit down Callie and tell us why you're here," Meredith said as she unconsciously reached over and laced her fingers with Arizona's.

Noticing this Callie immediately switched from confused to pissed.

"What the hell is this Arizona? When the hell did you start sleeping with her?" Questioned Callie loudly and pointing accusingly toward Meredith.

Jumping up and holding her hands in front of her in a stop motion Meredith scolded, "You need to stop right there, sit the hell down, and tell us why you're here or go your ass back where you came from!"

Tugging Meredith back down Arizona got her attention by placing her hand on Meredith's cheek rubbing softly with her thumb so she would keep looking at her, and not at a scowling Callie, as she spoke calmly to her, "As much as I love seeing you defend me, we need to talk about this because apparently, she doesn't have a clue what's happened since she left. Granted that's her own damn fault but we need to talk about this. Tonight or tomorrow, we have to deal with it."

Just as Meredith was about to reply Callie blurted out, "Oh my god, you're married to her too! How the hell did this happen? How could you do this to us Arizona?"

She had noticed the ring on Arizona's finger and the matching one Meredith wore as she watched her ex-wife calming down the woman who was once her best friend.

"How could _**I**_ do this? Really Callie," Arizona was the one getting a little loud now as she pulled back her hand and laced it with her wife's to ground herself. "You've got some freaking nerve. You know that right? I mean you show up here in the middle of the night, at _**our**_ home, after almost a _**freaking year**_ of not speaking to any of us except the few emails and texts to exchange travel arrangements for our daughter that _**you**_ took over 3,000 miles away to live with _**your freaking girlfriend**_. And now you want to be upset because you had no clue what was happening here. Did it ever cross your mind to actually pick up a damn phone and call home to see how things were going? Even if I don't understand how you could not know, seeing as _**our daughter**_ was there the day we got married!"

"I didn't call because I was afraid to hear how everyone felt and what they thought about me after I screwed everything up right before I left by allowing my damn lawyer to basically shred your character and question your validity as Sofia's parent. Then you go and show that you _**are**_ the better person by giving me what I thought I wanted. Again making me look like an ass. So yes, I just showed up in the middle of the night but I thought I was showing up at my best friends house so that I could start fixing the freaking mess I made of things including my relationship with you!"

"Your relationship with me?" Arizona asked in disbelief. "You realize that we've been divorced now for almost 3 yrs and that you've had a girlfriend for 2 of those years that you live with in New York. Not to mention we've become co-parenting freaking pen-pals and hardly that because you stopped talking to me when you left!"

"I don't have a girlfriend nor do I live in New York anymore. I was hoping to fix things so that we could at least be friends again if we couldn't be more than that. I realize now that I did this all wrong. I've been realizing that for the past 6 months actually, but this goes two ways Arizona. You could have mentioned that you got married. Hell, you could have mentioned that you was with someone at the very least."

"How Callie? Hun, because as I recall the past year you haven't been speaking to me. Why should I have been the one to reach out to you? You are the one who left. You are the one who thought it was a good idea to do all of this. So now what? You and Penny broke up and you thought you could just come back and I'd be okay with everything and what, take you back?"

"Well, that's sure as hell not happening," Meredith mumbled as she squeezed Arizona's hand before speaking up. "Callie, you should have known that as your friends we would've been here for you even after the way things happened. Nobody blamed you for wanting to be happy. Hell, we didn't blame you for the shit your lawyer pulled. What we do have a problem with is the fact that you just left and seemed to forget us. We may have thought you acted impulsively and didn't really think things through but we did want you happy even if that was in New York and not in Seattle. No one blames you for moving on because you wanted to be happy and you claimed she made you happy, the happiest you've ever been if I recall correctly, but we do blame you for forgetting that we were your people and would have liked to at least freaking hear from you once in the last damn year."

"Ugh, how do I always end up in these situations," groaned Callie before sitting down across from them. "Look, I know I was wrong for not calling and I fully intended to come back and grovel for forgiveness if I needed to. I also may have realized that I have done all of this wrong and made a mess of things with you Arizona. With Sofia having her own phone and iPad, I soon realized that I didn't really have a reason to just call you up to chat. We had developed a tentative friendship at least where our daughter was concerned when we had to see each other all the time and I should have realized I could call you without it getting weird. In a way, I realize now that I was still trying to let you go or at least the idea of you. I may not be in love with you Arizona but I will always love you in some way especially since we share a child. I admit that I was more than hopeful that I could find a way to make things up to you and see if we could be an us again, be a family again. I have missed you."

"Callie, you have always made rash decisions and jumped in with both feet when it comes to relationships and I'm not saying that's bad but you have more than yourself to think about now," Arizona sighed. "We will always be family because of Sofia but do you have any idea how hard this year has been on Sofia? Do you know on her last visit she told Meredith that she was _**not**_ going back to New York to live with you after she moved home this summer. She has tried, for you, to be happy there but Seattle is her home. Do you know that she heard you and Penny argue more than once and that she told me she didn't believe that Penny liked her very much since she was there all the time now and not with me every other week?"

Callie had tears running down her face now, "Oh god, she talked to me about wanting to come home but she never told me she felt that way about Penny or that she heard us arguing about that. Arizona, I would have talked to her about those things if she had told me. I've been arguing with Penny over the move back to Seattle for a while now because I knew Sofia would rather be here with you. Hell, I realized that I'd rather be here with you. So my last fight with Penny was enough to make me see it was just a matter of time before we ended things since we wanted two different things. Apparently, I'm not as over you as I thought and I know that you see this as me just running back to you because things with her didn't work out but Arizona I've been thinking of coming home to you and Seattle for months now. This last argument just confirmed that for me."

"Callie, are you listening to yourself right now," questioned Meredith as she gave a calming squeeze to her wife's hand. "You are sitting here in _**our**_ living room telling _**my wife**_ that you still have feelings for her and came back to Seattle for her basically. How the hell do you expect me to react to that? I mean apparently, you've missed out on a lot of information and I'm still not sure how that is possible since Sofia has been involved in every way that her brother and sisters have. Hell, I asked her permission to marry her Momma, she was there the day we got married, and she's been involved in designing her room in the new house we've been building."

"Brother and sisters? You're building a new house?" Questioned Callie still reeling from hearing Meredith claim Arizona as her wife.

"Yes, brother and sisters. The adoption should be done by the end of the summer. I asked Arizona to adopt the kids because she is their other parent now and has been for a while. The kids are all at their grandparents tonight because we just came off a 30 plus hour shift and Barbara and Daniel offered to take them for us. And yes, we are building a house together that we are supposed to move into rather soon, hence the boxes everywhere." Meredith responded exasperatedly to Callie already at the end of her patience level with her friend.

"Just exactly how long has this been going on? I mean why the hell didn't I know?" Questioned Callie a little angrily due to the hurt she was experiencing at the realization that she may have truly lost any chance she might have had with Arizona for good now.

"Not that it is any of your business really," started Meredith after she had glanced over to Arizona to see if she was okay with her continuing, "but things started changing between us after I returned with Ellis. Arizona and I became really close friends over that year before you left for New York and was basically dating but we hadn't realized it yet. About 3 weeks after you left, we admitted to how we had been feeling and have been together ever since. We moved in together in October after Sofia's visit and we got married when Sofia was here on Spring Break in March."

"You asked her to marry you after only 9 freaking months Arizona?" questioned Callie accusingly as she jumped to her feet once more in agitation.

"She asked me actually," Arizona smiled tenderly over at Meredith after giving her hand a loving squeeze. Even though she had been somewhat quiet, she had plenty to say. She just knew that Callie wasn't ready to hear it. But sometimes you just have to rip off the band-aide quickly. "I know you don't want to hear this and you will need time to adjust, or whatever, but Callie _please_ just be quiet a moment and listen."

After Callie sighed and sat down again she nodded for Arizona to proceed. She knew this wouldn't be anything good for her but she knew that this was something Arizona needed to say to her. She knew Arizona's mannerisms and the resigned quiet contemplative look she had been wearing during her exchange with Meredith wasn't missed on her.

"I would have given anything to hear you wanted me back that first year after our divorce and I held onto hope for so, so long Callie. But then...you started dating Penny and I realized that what I truly wanted was for you to be happy. It took lots of therapy and time but I let you go so that you could have that happiness. I wasn't ready to start dating but what I found was better. I found a best friend that I could turn to at anytime for anything, even to cry over you when she was dealing with loss of her own. That year we built an amazing foundation that we expanded on with a relationship and then marriage. I didn't set out looking for love but I found it in abundance in the woman I now call my wife. I am in love with her and yes we are raising the kids as a family and that includes Sofia. You really hurt me when you let your lawyer try to destroy my character and question my role as her mother in front of everyone and I'm not sure I can ever forget that but I do forgive you for it. I know you thought that Penny was your happiness and that you didn't want to let her go to New York alone. But Callie, you have to stop and think about Sofia and how she will be affected by your decisions. You acted impulsively to save another relationship you saw was on the verge of failure and hurt a lot of people, including yourself. I am sorry that things with Penny didn't work out but you need to see that whatever you thought was a possibility between you and I...isn't because I have found my happiness with Meredith. Now, I'm betting that you just packed your and Sofia's things and shipped them here and haven't even thought about where you are staying right?"

"Yeah," sighed Callie resignedly. "I just knew I wanted to come home and try and fix all the bridges I burned and hoped for things that I clearly see are not going to happen."

"You can fix things Callie," Arizona replied soothingly. "You can talk to your friends here and explain your side of things and ask for forgiveness for whatever you think you need to. But you know deep down that they will understand and while it may take time you can get your friends and your life here back. Just not with me as anything other than your friend. We've never really tried that except for when it revolved around co-parenting Sofia."

"Callie, she's right you know," replied Meredith. "We might not have agreed with your decisions but we didn't blame you for wanting to move on. You not keeping in touch stung but I can understand and will forgive you if you show me that you want to fix things with our friendship. But if you can't respect the fact that Arizona is my wife now then we will have problems."

"I don't even know where to start with any of this. It will take time but I want to own up to my mistakes and fix things in my life for Sofia and myself. Seattle is her home and mine too even if the reality I found wasn't what I was expecting. I just don't understand why Sofia never mentioned anything about any of this," Callie replied shaking her head. "But then again I never asked her to clarify anything specifically either. I just asked if she had a good time and was so preoccupied in noticing if anyone new was a part of your life Arizona that I missed all the times she mentioned how much Meredith was there with you both."

"She didn't mention Penny to me either and I questioned her on it once. I thought she may have been avoiding the subject subconsciously since there used to be a time that hearing about the two of you together bothered me but she explained that Penny just wasn't around very much. I was afraid she picked up on my discomfort and avoided talking about things that upset me. She may have feared upsetting you with talk of home and my happiness if she was picking up on your unhappiness with your life. Kids pick up on things we don't expect and she is a smart little miss."

"Callie, why don't you stay the night in Sofia's room and we can talk about this more in the morning," suggested Meredith. "I'm tired and I know this was an information overload for you after an already stressful day. We can figure things out tomorrow so you can have time to think about everything you've learned and decide what you want to do then."

"Is that okay with you Arizona," questioned Callie. "I can get a hotel room if you're not comfortable with me staying. I mean it's weird for me but I'm too tired to think about it. I know we need to talk more about Sofia, especially, since I'm back to stay."

"It's fine Callie," Arizona said before she gathered her crutches and stood up as Meredith followed. "You're right we do need to talk about how this will work with you moving back now but I am going to bed and that can wait until morning. Goodnight."

Arizona squeezed Meredith's hand and winked at her before heading up the stairs. She knew that Meredith wanted to have a few minutes alone with Callie since she could feel her holding back when she went to nudge her towards the stairs after they stood up.

Callie watched a little longingly as Arizona headed up the stairs while standing beside Meredith whom was watching her wife lovingly. Callie didn't know what to say so she just looked over at Meredith and waited for her friend to say what was on her mind.

Meredith waited until she heard Arizona close their door before turning her attention back to her friend with a contemplative look on her face for a few moments before the looked turn to one of resolve and then she broke the uncomfortable silence.

"A part of me wants to chuck your ass out and tell you to stay the hell away from my wife. But...I know that's just the jealous possessive side of me that I've discovered comes out when I feel like someone is trying to take her from me. Unfortunately, you're different from the other two past lovers I've had to deal with wanting her. I knew she didn't care for either of them but she was married to you, has a child with you, and you taught her how to love. I know you are apart of her life forever because of Sofia and I respect that Callie. I do but you need to understand that I only have so much patience and listening to you tell her that you came back for her is really pushing my limits. I'm not worried about her going back to you because I know she is as in love with me as I am with her. I know she will always carry a place for you in her heart just as I will always carry Derek with me and we respect that about each other. Don't think for a minute though that I'm going to put up with you trying to get her back if you decide to think that you have a chance to do so. I want to be able to move forward as friends because I have missed you but you screwed up royally and you know it. Sofia and Arizona took the brunt of your mistake so you need to think about what you are going to do and whether you're going to stay now that you're back. I want to see you happy and believe it or not Arizona wants the same thing. Hell, she let you take her baby across the freaking country to give you that chance at happiness."

"I get it, okay," sighed Callie as she ran a hand through her hair. "I acted impulsively and I hurt more than myself this time. Sofia is my first priority and I know she wants to be here with her Momma. I saw how hard it was for Sofia to be away from her while she only got to talk to her on Skype or the phone everyday. I'm not taking her away again. I'm going to figure my shit out and hopefully find a way to get my life back on track here. You know that I can't promise to stay away from Arizona because I have missed her and I have missed you and everyone else too. It will take some time for me to adjust to all of this and while I may have an occasional slip up, I won't try to mess things up for either of you. I saw how she looked at you, she hasn't looked at me like that in a very long time. I also saw how your presence alone calmed her and while it hurts that I have really lost her it's not as bad as it was the first time."

"Callie, let's just go upstairs and get some sleep because we can talk more in the morning, okay. Sofia's room is where Amelia's old room was. Good night."

Meredith didn't wait on a reply she just headed for the stairs and up to her wife who she knew was waiting on her.

As for Callie, she just watched Meredith go and felt like being sick knowing that she was going to crawl into bed beside Arizona. She finally shook off the feeling and walked over to grab her suitcase and head up the stairs to her daughter's room. Her daughter's room that was just down the hall from her best friend and ex-wife that were apparently deeply in love with one another. Not to mention married, raising their kids as siblings, and moving into a house they built together. After Callie shut the door, she felt tears fall as she went about getting ready for bed. As she finally lay down, she couldn't help but chuckle as the tears continued as she finally understood where the damn chickens had come in to Sofia's story.

* * *

As soon as Meredith entered their room, she smiled at seeing the blonde propped up in bed with the lamp on waiting for her. She quickly crossed the room and climbed in beside her. After turning out the light she pulled Arizona down into her arms and kissed her softly as they settled facing one another with enough light to see by coming from the night light they kept in the bathroom so that Arizona wouldn't accidentally bump into anything with her crutches if she had to get up at night. When they pulled apart some Arizona was the first to break the silence.

"Are you okay?"

"I am. I just needed a moment with her is all."

"Did you go all jealous possessive? Because you know what that does to me," Arizona teased as she leaned forward for another soft kiss.

"A little but nothing to worry about. I just needed to say a few things and see how she was going to react when you weren't there as a buffer. But I should be the one asking you, if you're okay?"

"I was surprised to find her on our doorstep at one in the morning that's for sure. All I could think was that something had happened and she needed to get Sofia for whatever reason but then I realized that she didn't expect to see me and was as shocked as I was. What I'm not surprised about is that she just hoped on a plane back here when her and Penny split up. That's just her impulsivity that we all know, all too well, kicking in. That she was coming here for me was a shock, however, but I hope you know that is _not_ an option."

"I told her that I wasn't worried about that because you're as in love with me as I am with you. So no, I'm not worried about _you_ but I did tell her that I only had so much patience for _her_ , especially, if she was going to try and get you back. I understand she is different from Murphy and Boswell but she still riled up my jealous possessive side as she talked about wanting you back. I think she will make it worse than they ever did because I know how you felt about her and that you will always carry a love for her because of Sofia but I promise to try and not drag you into every on-call room or storage closet that we come across when she's near."

"Oh, I don't think I'd mind too much if you lost a few battles with yourself and we ended up in those places. I love you Meredith and I told you once that _no one_ from my past could change that and that included Callie. You, my beautiful wife, are my present and future." Arizona said before pulling her into a long, slow kiss.

After they parted Meredith replied, "Let's get some sleep and then we can talk to her in the morning before the kids show up and see what she plans on doing now that she knows we're married and you're not an option for her any longer. She said she was staying and going to work on repairing the mess she made and I believe her."

"I think she was hit with a lot of information and that it'll take time but I want to believe that it will all work out for everyone's sake but especially for Sofia's sake. I do know that I want Sofia to have the chance to stay with us for a while since she's supposed to have stayed with us this year. I'm not doing it to be petty but I missed her so much and Callie can't just expect me to go back to the every other week routine so quickly. I'd like her to live with us at least the rest of this summer and then we can work out a new schedule with Callie. She can see Sofia whenever she wants but I need this time with her and I think it will be good for her to have a chance to see what it's like to live with us and her brother and sisters for more than a few weeks at a time."

"I understand and we can talk to Callie about it in the morning before the kids come home if you want," Meredith said before a huge yawn interrupted her. "I think that's our sign to rest now and talk tomorrow. Good night babe, I love you."

"Mm, I love you too," Arizona said after she kissed her wife before snuggling down into her embrace as they drifted off together.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Morning," Meredith greeted Arizona as she walked into the kitchen to see her wife standing before the stove finishing up breakfast. She walked over and kissed her on the cheek before heading for the coffee machine.

"Morning. Did you notice if Callie was up yet?" Arizona asked as she plated up the bacon, eggs, and toast she had just finished and placed them on the bar before taking a seat.

"I think she was up in the bathroom. Why?" Meredith questioned as she took her seat next to Arizona and handed over the blonde's coffee.

"I talked to Mom, explained our unexpected guest, and so she is bringing the kids back around 3 that way she and Dad can take them to the park after they take them out to lunch at that new place near their house. I just thought it would be better to get some of the needed conversations out of the way before they do."

"Good idea, now eat before your food gets cold," Meredith winked over at Arizona before starting on her own plate.

Once they both finished Arizona stood up and said, "Let's clean this up and set Callie's plate in the warmer."

"That won't be necessary but thanks for this," Callie said as she walked into the kitchen, fixed her coffee, grabbed her plate, and sat down to eat. "I'm starving actually, since I don't remember if I ate yesterday."

Neither had noticed that Callie had finally made her way down and was stood just behind them at the opening to the kitchen a few minutes before announcing her presence. She watched them with a slight ache as she noticed how they seemed to be so involved with the other that they didn't even notice she had been standing there. They would glance at one another while seeming to flirt with the simplest of nudges, a smirk, or a wink here and there while they sat silently and ate breakfast together.

"Well, you eat and we'll clean this up and then we need to talk about some things before the kids get back," Arizona said as she started passing Meredith dishes ready to go in the dishwasher.

"When will that be?" Questioned Callie in between bites.

"Barbara and Daniel are taking them to lunch and to the park afterwards so around 3," Meredith answered after closing the dishwasher and passing a towel to Arizona to dry her hands. "Finish up, throw that in the dishwasher and start it please, and then meet us in the living room so we can talk."

Meredith laced her fingers with Arizona's and guided her out towards the sofa so they could wait on Callie. She hoped this talk wouldn't be as confrontational as last night but who knows what to expect when Callie is involved.

* * *

When Callie entered the living room she couldn't help but notice how well they seemed to fit together, even though it hurt to see. They were talking quietly to one another when Arizona placed a quick kiss on Meredith's lips before giving her that magical smile of hers. Man did it ever hurt to see them like this.

Callie nervously cleared her throat as she stepped over and sat across from them before asking, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, what are your plans exactly Callie? Do you plan to stay after everything you learned last night? What about a place to live and a job? Not to mention we need to work things out for Sofia as well." Arizona started as she turned her attention to Callie but not letting go of her wife's hand.

"I'm not leaving Seattle, Arizona. I wouldn't do that to Sofia, you, or myself again. I see that things aren't what I hoped for and I know that seeing you and Meredith together will take some getting used to but I'm not running away just because I didn't find what I was hoping too. I will check into a hotel nearby until I can find a place to live and I was hoping to go and see Bailey about a job."

"You do know that the Chief of Ortho spot was filled after you left right?" Meredith questioned.

"Yeah, Sofia said that Amelia's new girlfriend, Abby I think, is the new 'Chief of Bones' when she came back after Thanksgiving. I know that I can't expect to have that position handed back but I plan to get back into my labs, hopefully. Surgery, the cartilage lab, and the prosthesis that I was working on for Wounded Warriors will be enough to keep me busy. I'm actually hoping that I can talk Amelia into working on the Neuro aspects with me on that one."

"Yeah, she mentioned being interested in it once so she might," Meredith replied before continuing. "As for a place to live, we talked this morning and if you want to, you can stay here. After we move next week, that is."

Arizona took over, "Meredith didn't want to sell this place again. Amelia said she wanted to stay in the apartment and Maggie is moving into the guest house when we move so it will be empty."

"I wanted to keep it for instances just like this when someone we know is in need of a place to stay. You know how many of us have lived here before and all I ask is that you pay the utilities and any upkeep needed while you are here. Oh, and if someone we know needs a room for awhile that you won't turn them away without reason."

"Sofia has a room already decorated the way she wants but you change the others if you want to. Just don't do major remodels without a heads up," Arizona finished up the offer.

"Not that I'm not grateful but...why would you offer this to me after everything?" Questioned Callie a little perplexed by the offer.

"We told you already that while you need to make up for what you've done, we are still your friends and family. We even thought about offering you the apartment above the garage at our new home but we just don't want you that close and I'm not sure I'm ready to have you around Arizona that close so often," Meredith said honestly with a shoulder shrug thrown in as she watched Callie closely.

Callie was a little taken aback by that statement but knew that was just Meredith being herself. She never held back from speaking her mind. Still she knew she had to respond, "That sounds reasonable and will make things easier for me to find a place that I really want without settling so I can get out of a hotel. Frankly, I don't think I'm in a good enough place with all of this to be that close to either of you for awhile anyways. So I will accept your offer for now but it's not going to be permanent because I would like to find a house for Sofia and myself to put down roots here again."

"Speaking of Sofia," Arizona said drawing Callie's attention. "I want her to live with us for at least the rest of the summer and longer if she wants since it is supposed to be my year. You have had her for the past year and I have missed her so much. Plus, I want her to have a chance to see what it's like to live with her sisters and brother for more than a few weeks every few months. You can see here anytime you want. I would never keep her from you but I don't want to go back to the old schedule of every other week just yet. I'm not asking to be petty or anything but you can't expect to just show up and get your way in this after everything you've put us through."

Callie took a moment to really think before replying, "Okay, I don't want to argue or anything and I know you're right about it technically being your year. Plus, it will still be a lot easier on me than it was on you because at least we're in the same city and not a 6 hour plane ride away. I agree to give you the summer and then we can talk to Sofia about it since she should have a say as well. If she wants to stay longer, we'll decide what to do then okay?"

"Okay, I think she's old enough to give her opinion but ultimately it's up to us to decide what's best for her," Arizona answered a little relieved. She wasn't sure what to expect out of Callie when she brought this up. "Now, when she comes back later I think it's best if you sit with her and explain that you're moving back for good and please stress the fact that what happened between you and Penny wasn't her fault. We don't want her to ever feel like she is the cause of anything that causes us unhappiness."

"Yeah," Callie sighed, "I can't believe she didn't mention she heard us arguing or how it made her feel. Don't worry Arizona, I'll make sure she understands that my decision to leave Penny wasn't her fault. I can't guarantee anything about the decision to return to Seattle because that I made with her best interests at heart but I will make sure she knows that my break up with Penny didn't have anything to do with her."

"That's all I ask Callie," Arizona gave a small smile to her ex-wife. "For what it's worth, I'm glad your back and trying to fix things. I hope you find your happiness again. The real and forever kind."

"Yeah, me too," Meredith added smiling before looking at Callie a little harshly, "as long as that doesn't include you putting moves on my wife because then we are going to have problems."

"I'm not going to lie and say it's easy to see you two together because it's not, at all. I will respect your relationship though because as painful as it is to see, I can see that you're both happy. Now, I'm going upstairs to start making some calls but I'll be down to talk to Sofia when she gets here."

They watched Callie climb the stairs before Meredith pulled Arizona into her arms and held her close and placed a kiss on top of her head as she snuggled in.

"Mm, that's better," Meredith said after kissing her wife's head.

"What is?" Questioned Arizona as she wrapped her arms around Meredith.

"This," Meredith answered. "Having you in my arms is always better."

"There's no place I'd rather be," Arizona said before kissing her softly before they spent time relaxing in the others arms until it was almost time for their kids to return.

* * *

"Mami, what are you doing here?" questioned Sofia excitedly when she saw Callie coming down the stairs. Arizona and Meredith picked up Ellis and ushered Zola and Bailey upstairs to give them some privacy but not before Arizona hugged and kissed Sofia before she ran off to jump into Callie's arms.

Barbara and Daniel had just dropped them off and said their goodbyes. Callie had waited until they left to come down since she wasn't sure what their reception to her would be. She knew she would go and talk to them soon but first she needed to get some other stuff straight, including talking to her little girl.

"I got here last night mija," Callie replied as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Can you come out back and talk with me a little?"

"You're not here to take me back to New York are you?" Sofia questioned quietly from wrapped in her mother's arms.

"No, mija, I'm definitely not," Callie replied soothingly. "Come on and I'll explain why I'm here."

Callie lead her little girl out the back door and down into the yard to sit on a bench by the swings they had out there.

"Mija, I've decided that I want to move back here to Seattle."

"For real?" Sofia questioned softly.

"For real," Callie smiled as she hugged Sofia to her side a little tighter. "I packed our things and sent them back here before I caught a plane home yesterday. We don't ever have to go back there."

"Where is Penny, Mami? Did she come too?"

"No mija, she didn't. Penny and I decided that we aren't going to be together anymore because we want different things in life baby. She wanted to stay in New York and I wanted to come back to Seattle. We weren't happy together anymore. You know that it is important to always be honest. That includes being honest with yourself and about what you want. I want you to be happy and I know that you are happy here and I will be happy here too."

"I tried to be happy in New York for you Mami, to be a good man in a storm like Grandpa says, but I really, really missed Momma and that made me sad. I missed everybody here too."

"I know baby and I'm so sorry for taking you so far away and I'm extremely grateful that your Momma did everything she could to see you as much as she could and talk to you everyday on the phone or the iPad. Now, that I'm back for good, I'm going to stay here in this house after everyone moves into the new house, okay?"

"Do I have to stay here or am I going to move into the new house with Momma?"

"You are going to move into the new house and spend the summer with your Momma and we can see each other whenever we want. Then we will sit down as a family and talk about what to do after summer's over. If you want to stay a little longer that's fine, but if you want to go back to spending a week with me and then a week with Momma that will be fine too. But mija, you can see either of us whenever you want to and I promise to never take you so far away from Momma again."

"Okay, Mami. I really want to stay with Momma, Aunt Mer', and my brother and sisters at the new house for awhile. You should see it Mami. I have a big room next to Zola's and we'll share a bathroom. Bailey and Ellis have rooms across from us and they share a bathroom too. Plus, Momma and Aunt Mer' built us a playroom that we can study in too. Its gots each of us a desk and we get a sofa with our own TV for video games. It's awesome and its gots a little house in a fence for Momma's chickens in the back yard. We get to help pick out the chickens and Aunt Mer' said we can name them if we want to."

"That's great mija and you will have to show me around after you move in." Callie smiled down at her little girl as she saw the excitement on her face. She just hugged her tighter and knew this decision to move back home was the right thing. She waited a few minutes before starting back up the conversation.

"Baby, can you tell me why you didn't say anything about Momma and Aunt Mer' getting married?"

"Are you mad I didn't tell you Mami?" Sofia questioned softly as she hung her head slightly.

Callie placed her hand under her chin and lifted her little girl's head until she was looking into her deep brown eyes. "No mija, I'm not mad at you for anything. I swear. I'm just curious if I have done something that made you feel like you couldn't come talk to me. Because you can always come talk to me or your Momma about how you are feeling about things okay?"

"Momma said the same thing and I promise to talk to you both if I feel sad or upset about stuff. I thought you was sad a little in New York and Penny seemed to get upset when I talked about Momma and I didn't want her to make you cry anymore. I heard her a few times say it was hard with me there all the time but Momma explained that sometimes grownups say things they don't mean when they are tired or upset and none of that was my fault. I didn't want to make you sadder by telling you how happy Momma was. Aunt Mer' asked me if it was okay to marry Momma and I said it was good because she made Momma really, really happy after she had been sad for so long. Now, I'm a big sister to Bailey and Ellis like Zola and we have responsibilities to each other."

Callie was floored by the fact that even thousands of miles away Arizona was always looking out for Sofia by explaining that none of her crap was her baby's fault. She was only starting to grasp the amount of hurt she had caused Sofia and Arizona over the past year. She had a lot of making up to do and marveled at how good Sofia's grasp on her and Arizona's emotions actually was. She would have to thank Arizona for everything she has done over the past year and while the sight of them together still hurt she knew that any chance she had with Arizona as anything other than a co-parent and friend was truly gone if even Sofia could see exactly how happy Meredith made Arizona.

"I promise I'm not mad baby girl and none of the things you might have heard between me and Penny was your fault. Penny and I just didn't make each other happy and it had nothing to do with you. I am going to fix everything here and then we can all be happy, okay? Do you have any questions?"

"Can we go inside and see what everyone is doing?"

"Sure baby let's go," Callie said as she stood up and took Sofia's hand as the little girl led her back inside.

As soon as they came into the living room, Sofia took off to help with the giant fort that was being constructed with pillows and blankets big enough to fit the kids and the adults if they wanted to enter. Callie watched the scene for a minute as Arizona and Meredith laughed and playfully nudged one another as they helped the kids. She could clearly see what Sofia meant when she said that her Momma was really, really happy. Arizona had her magical dimpled smile on in full force as she interacted with her family. While it hurt her to see and she felt the loss that she could have had this with Arizona and walked away from it, she couldn't even think about trying to mess this up for them. They deserved it and she would work her ass off to deserve their friendship and fix the mess she made of her life. And just maybe she could find happiness like this again.

Callie was distracted from her thoughts when Meredith spoke, "Get over here and help. Nobody gets out of family fort time without a good reason."

"I didn't want to intrude," Callie said quietly as she approached the other two women.

"You may not think so Callie but we are still family. We have a wonderful daughter and she will always connect us. How you choose to fit in, is up to you. If you can accept all of this, we will have no problems and can work on creating a friendship but if it's too much right now I understand," Arizona said before stepping around the back of the structure to help Bailey with a heavy blanket.

"She's right you know," Meredith said as she stepped over to Callie to get her help with constructing a corner of the fort. "We've always been friends and now because of Sofia we are family. I love her and Sofia and want what is best for them and I know that is for us all to get along. If you don't hit on my wife, we'll be good. I can see it hurts you to see us together right now. I may dial it back in front of you some but I'm not going to treat her any different than I have since we got together and I won't apologize for showing what she means to me in front of anyone."

"It does hurt but I am dealing with it. Meredith, I really want to fix this mess and while it's been a shock for me I know I will be okay. Just, next time I start to act like an ass or make life changing impulsive decisions be sure you point it out before I screw up like this again. I have missed you and everyone here. She loved me enough to let me go and I will do the same thing for her."

"Good, enough heavy talk let's help our kids finish building this awesome fort."

Callie just shook her head and laughed because she just noticed that even Arizona's vocabulary was rubbing off on her once twisted friend.

* * *

Callie was nervous as she approached the front of the hospital. While waiting on Sofia to get back from her grandparents so she could talk to her, Bailey was one of the first calls she had made. Callie just said that she was in town and needed to speak with her about somethings and Bailey had scheduled her in for a few days later. Callie knew that would give her time to find a hotel and get settled until she could move back into Meredith's empty house once everyone was moved.

She was hoping this conversation went better than the one she had with her dad. When she decided to go to New York, to say he was disappointed in her was an understatement. He never agreed with her taking Sofia across the country to chase resident tail as he saw it. He supported her need to move forward in life but didn't think she was doing it right by moving to New York, splitting up her family, and walking away from a very successful career she had built in Seattle.

So when she explained she had moved back to Seattle and had left Penny he was relieved and expressed his approval, until she had mentioned that she had hoped to reconcile things with Arizona before she had found out she was married again. She was shocked that he had known this information for a while now. Apparently, he and Arizona still talk once a month at least and he also talks to her parents still. He told her to grow up and accept she had made mistakes and to get to fixing those mistakes but to not mess with Arizona's happiness.

She was stunned to say the least and so she was really hoping this meeting with Bailey went better than that phone call had. She knew that Arizona and Meredith were both back to work today after having the last few days off and was curious to see how the hospital had taken to them as a couple even if she secretly hoped to not witness them together while she was here today.

Callie had made it to Miranda's office without running into anyone important. She had noticed a few people do a double take or turn to whomever they were with and start whispering as she passed them but none of her friends had seen her yet. She was still nervous as she knocked but she hoped for the best anyways.

"Come in," Callie heard Miranda call out. She pushed the door open and entered quickly.

"Don't just stand there Torres move your butt over here and sit down," Miranda barked as she noticed Callie just standing there nervously. After Callie sat across from her she asked, "Well, to what do I owe the honor of a visit when I haven't heard from you in a year. Not a phone call, not a text, not an email, well, not one from you personally since I do receive them from your lawyer on occasion."

"I came home," Callie answered simply as she looked over at her friend. "I realized what a mess of things I've made and I want to fix them. I'd like a job and access to my labs."

"Just like that," Miranda said with a huff. "You expect to waltz in here and get your job back without a problem, hun? Well, I filled your position when you up and left to chase Blake across the dang country. Dr. Freeland has been an excellent fit around here and does excellent work."

"I'm not asking for my old job of Chief, Miranda. I am asking for a job as an attending Ortho surgeon. You know I'm still one of the best if not the best. I want to focus on getting my life back on track and starting up my cartilage and prosthetic projects again. I want to see if I can get Amelia to work on the Neuro side of things with me. I don't need to add a Chief position to my plate right now since I have a lot to do personally and hopefully start rebuilding burnt bridges. I'm sorry I bailed and didn't keep in touch but I was ashamed, truthfully, of my actions even if I didn't realize until recently what the hell I gave up here."

Bailey just watched Callie for a moment and let her sweat it out. She had already spoken with Drs. Robbins-Grey and knew they were okay with her giving Callie a job back at the hospital. They told her some of what was going on and while she didn't pry she could still see a little tension in Meredith where Callie was concerned. So she needed to be clear on a few things now to avoid incidents later.

"Okay, Torres," Miranda said as she looked at Callie sternly. "You can start back to work as an attending and have the access back to your labs but you'll have to go before the board for funding before anything official. Now, don't make me regret this decision. I don't want you starting trouble."

"Miranda, I know about Arizona and Meredith and while it hurts, I'm happy for them. I don't plan to cause trouble for either of them, especially, since we have Sofia to consider and she will be living with them for awhile. I admit to you I had hoped I could make things right between Arizona and I so I could get her back but I see any chance of that has long past," Callie said sincerely.

Miranda has known her long enough to see that she truly believed what she was saying but she also knew Callie was a person prone to action and acted impulsively on her feelings without thought sometimes. She would have to keep her eyes open and hope for the best.

"Well, get out of here. I'm a busy woman you know. I'll have HR get you back in the system and have your keys and badges ready to go first thing Monday," Miranda said before turning her attention back the files on her desk.

Callie stood up and headed for the door but right before she left she paused at the open door and said, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry and I will work to show you and everyone else that I've learned from my mistakes. I've lost something that I'm not sure I can ever get over but I will move on and try to find peace with it. Hopefully, I'll eventually find a happiness like she has."

After the door closed, Miranda looked at it and softly said, "I wish you luck my friend because not everyone is going to be as nice and understanding."

Unfortunately, Callie would learn that as soon as she rounded the corner after leaving the Chief's office.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"What the hell are you doing here Torres?" Alex asked after he saw her round the corner. He was headed up to see the Chief about Jo's idea for a surprise house warming for his friends. Seeing Callie was throwing him off and he knew that she could cause trouble for his friends. "Haven't you caused enough crap around here without just showing up. If you think you are going to cause Arizona any more grief, you have another thing coming. You almost freaking broke her before with the stunt you pulled the night before you left her sitting devastated in that therapist room, the custody battle, and then taking away Sofia to New York to chase your resident ass. I won't let you cause her anymore crap so you should just catch the next flight back to your damn girlfriend."

"Wow, it's good to see somethings haven't changed and it's good to see you too Karev," Callie replied trying to keep her composure in front of him. The things he said stung and drove home the fact of how much she had screwed up yet again but she wasn't going to run this time. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here to try and fix my mistakes and get my life back on track."

"Yeah, whatever you say," he scuffed not really believing her. "Just stay the hell away from her. She is finally happy and back to her old self and I don't want to see you screwing with that."

He just walked off after that and left her standing in the hall to contemplate exactly what being back here would mean. She knew everyone wouldn't be welcoming but Karev was always one to speak his mind and not filter what he was saying or thinking. She knew he looked up to and cared for Arizona since she was his mentor and Meredith was his person so he was bound to be skeptical about her intentions.

She started heading back towards the lobby again but decided to see if she could have a quick word with Amelia about her interest in the brain mapping for the prosthetic for the Wounded Warriors. She would need a Neurosurgeon on board if she had to present to the board for funding once again so she might as well get this step going while she was here. She thought things couldn't get any worse after her run in with Karev but wasn't sure what to expect around here anymore.

* * *

"Come in," Miranda called out as she heard a loud knock on her office door. She looked up to see an irritated Karev standing in front of her desk after she heard the door shut a little more forceful than she usually tolerated. "What?"

"Why the hell is Torres here? You can't possibly be thinking of letting her come back. You know the crap she pulled before and what she put Arizona through and so you can imagine the crap she will cause around here for Arizona and Mer' right?"

"Dr. Karev, I have already spoken to both Dr. Robbins-Grey about Dr. Torres being back in this hospital. Not that it's any of your business what I do as the Chief, but yes Dr. Torres will be returning as an _Attending_ Ortho with her lab privileges reinstated. She has been warned that I will not tolerate any foolishness and to not start trouble with my staff. Now, what can I do for you or was you just here to question my ability to hire who I see fit?"

"Jo wants to have a surprise house warming thing for Mer' and Arizona about a week after they move in and wanted me to run it by you since you do handle the scheduling around here to see if you can suggest a date that would work for most everyone."

"I'll see what I can do and let you know. Now, don't you have a job to get back to," Miranda said as a way of dismissing him. She watched him shrug his shoulders and walk out the door.

That man was a headache but a damn fine doctor. She knew he'd be one to give Torres hell and frankly she was glad it wouldn't be easy around here for the woman after all the heartache she had caused when she took that child from her Momma and her village. Miranda knew all about divorce and how it affected your child and couldn't imagine having to fight to keep Tuck and respected Arizona more for even being able to stand the sight of Callie after what she pulled, let alone, tell Miranda it was okay with her to hire Torres again. She knew the blonde always had her child's best interest at heart and two fighting parents wasn't what was good for Sofia and guessed that had a lot to do with Arizona and Meredith's acceptance of the situation.

Still she vowed to keep her eyes and ears on the situation. After all, she was Bailey and Bailey knew everything.

* * *

As Callie headed towards the Attending's lounge on the surgical floor, she came across another unexpected revelation. Leah freaking Murphy was standing in front of the surgical board with Edwards. When the hell did she get back? She guessed this was one of Arizona's two other lovers that Meredith had mentioned the other night that she had been confronted with. Neither saw her as she approached, so she was able to hear some of their conversation before Edwards noticed she was there.

What Callie didn't notice however, was Amelia and Maggie standing just behind her wondering what the hell Torres was doing here by the surgical board today. They knew she was back as Meredith had called to give them a heads-up and explain a little of what went on the night Callie showed up and the next day. They were in search of their own girlfriends to see about lunch when they came across Callie listening in on Edwards and Murphy.

"What do you mean you have been sorta seeing Lauren Boswell since she was here before? You had a girlfriend when she worked on that case with Avery remember?" Edwards said accusingly before noticing their unexpected guests and tried to warn the other woman from answering by shaking her head no with wide eyes but Murphy seemed clueless.

"I know, I know, but we sorta just hung out after that day we saw them together. You know how I felt when I saw Meredith dragging Arizona off to her en-suite for sex. We talked and realized we had a lot in common and one thing led to another and we ended up at her hotel in bed together. Then we kept in touch, would see one another if she was in town for a hookup, and now that she is going into private practice with another craniofacial surgeon they decided that Seattle was their best option, especially since Grey-Sloan is ranked so high again thanks to Arizona mostly," Murphy explained. "It's not like we don't realize what we're doing. For God's sake, at least once every time we have sex one of us calls out Arizona's name instead of the others, it's absolutely maddening. It's worse for me because I had sex with her way more than Lauren did their one night but we understand each other and you see how well it worked out for me with my last girlfriend. She bailed after I screamed out Arizona's name instead of hers but Lauren seems to get turned on by it so the sex is more intense with her. I mean it's still not anywhere near Arizona level intense, which is absolutely mind shattering, but at least we are somewhat satisfied with it and each other."

Edwards had noticed Dr. Torres face go from shocked to all kinds of pissed off as Murphy rambled on clueless to the impending explosion awaiting her to finish. She was even more worried when Dr. Torres seemed to school her expression to one of control but you could see the rage behind her eyes. She just prayed Murphy survived and kept quiet herself to avoid the fallout, especially, giving the other two doctors listening to this as well.

" _ **What the Hell!"**_ Screamed Callie startling Murphy who spun around so fast you couldn't tell if she was so pale from the spin or the from the sight of the woman in front of her. "Not only are you fucking that home wrecking bitch Lauren Boswell, you're actually getting off on it while thinking about _**my wife!**_ "

"Don't you mean _**ex-wife**_ , Dr. Torres?" Amelia calmly asked. She glanced between the 3 women in front of her and Maggie after Callie turned to face them with a shocked look on her face probably caused by her slip-up. "Since, my sister and I, remember watching _**our sister**_ marry Arizona back in March. Don't you remember that sister?"

"I do and I also remember all the times that _**our sister**_ and _**her wife**_ woke me up in the middle of the night with their very passionate love making before and after their marriage took place," replied Maggie as she kept her gaze calmly on the 3 women as well. "Now, all of you need to remember that you are standing in the hall of a very busy hospital talking about a very private matter. I would suggest that before you start extolling the many talents of _**our sister's wife**_ again that you think about who may be around the corner listening in."

"She's right you know," continued Amelia as she sternly looked between Murphy and Torres. "Especially, for you two. I can't imagine what Meredith would have to say about this little display, not to mention what Chief Bailey would say if she knew about this. Plus, I'm sure Meredith's newly discovered jealous possessiveness would come out to play and have her dragging her wife off to claim in some empty room nearby, where we would all have to hear her appreciation for her wife's talents, that no one seems to be able to forget about once they have sampled them first hand."

"Are you including yourself sister? I mean you have had a small taste of those talents," Maggie asked as she turned to Amelia.

"I'm very, very satisfied with Abby sister but I'm damn glad we passed out before Arizona fucked the sense out of me too," Amelia replied casually. "Just be glad that Meredith claimed her before you asked her out and had the chance to become a victim of the mind shattering orgasms as well."

"Oh, I am sister," Maggie replied. "I'm also very satisfied with Sam and I'm glad my mind has not been fried by our sister-in-law's many talents. I'm surprised Meredith is coherent most days considering the amount of time they spend in the throes of passion. Oh well, that's not our business just like it is no one else's either."

"Yes, please ladies," Amelia took over now. "Do remember that Arizona is no longer an option for either of you ladies in the bedroom, or any other room for that matter, if it involves sex. She is happy, our sister is happy, their kids are happy, and we very much want things to stay that way. We will have no issue with either of you if you can remember that from now on but if not we may have problems."

"Now, Dr. Edwards and Dr. Murphy, I believe you both have surgeries to be getting to," Maggie told the two residents who didn't waste any time in running off after that dismissal. "Now, Dr. Torres, I believe we would like a word with you in private. Right sister?"

"Yeah, Dr. Torres, just a moment if you would please follow us," Amelia answered as she started to head off down the hall with Maggie and Callie following her towards the elevator. She figured her office was the closest being only one floor up and better for the upcoming talk.

* * *

Callie followed along in a daze. She was trying to arrange all the info she had just received into a coherent thought instead of the jumble of emotions it all brought about. Before she realized it she was sitting in Amelia's office in a chair across from the two other surgeons sitting on Amelia's sofa. She was brought out of her thoughts by a remark Maggie was making.

"I'm not sure it's safe to sit on this sofa after what I walked in on you and Abby doing on it the other day."

"Please, like you haven't had Sam spread eagle before you on the sofa in your office. If anything, I wouldn't eat off the coffee table in yours, after what Sam told Abby she done to you on it the other day."

"Um, not that this isn't entertaining but what do you want to talk to me about?" Callie interrupted the banter the sisters had going on. "First, I want to apologize for my slip-up earlier. It was just seeing Murphy again and hearing her talk about that bitch Lauren Boswell threw me for a loop and took me back to a painful time for me. I didn't think before I reacted and my mind was in another place and time. I know about Meredith and Arizona. While it is not what I expected when I returned, it is what it is and I can live with it."

"Can you really, Callie?" Questioned Amelia brutally honest as usual. "Because you just called Arizona your wife about 15 minutes ago and looked ready to kill Murphy over what she was saying."

"Yeah, but like I said her mentioning Lauren Boswell set off something from a time when Arizona was my wife and I reacted before thinking. I've seen how Arizona looks at Meredith and I realize she hasn't looked at me like that since long before the divorce, hell, probably since the plane crash. You have to understand that's it's not going to be easy for me to see them together for a while because we have a lot of history behind Arizona and I that will pop up like it did today. Just believe me when I say I am not here to actively try and mess up their life. I want to fix the mess I made of things by chasing resident ass across the country as Karev so eloquently put it earlier today."

"Okay, Callie," Maggie said as she stood up and headed for the door after her pager went off. "Just don't go trying to screw things up for them. They are happy and so is Sofia and the kids."

After the door shut behind Maggie, Amelia said, "Look, I understand that you have a long history with Arizona and will always love her, especially since you share Sofia, but Callie that history is what broke you and Arizona apart in the first place. Don't let it come between the friendships you have a chance at here again. You leaving hurt a lot of people in different ways and while you may now just be coming to terms with what that actually caused Arizona to feel, you have to remember we were here to see what it actually did to her. Arizona and Meredith are in a good place and they make each other happy and after everything that has happened to them both over the years they deserve that happiness finally. Hell, we all deserve it after everything we've been through and that includes you. You just have to find it with someone new."

"Ugh, this is not how I wanted my day to go. I wanted to slip in and talk to Bailey and slip out. First, I run into Karev and he goes off on me for being here. Then I learn that not only is freaking Leah Murphy here but apparently she is sleeping with Lauren Boswell so that they can fantasize about my ex-wife together. Then I make a fool of myself with that slip-up and get scolded by you and Maggie when I only came across them because I was looking for you."

"Why were you looking for me?" Amelia questioned.

"Oh, well, Bailey is giving me a job as an Attending Ortho surgeon but also access back to my labs but I have to go before the board for funding again for the cartilage lab and the prosthetic project. I need a Neurosurgeon for the brain mapping and I was hoping you would like to take over. Derek and I made great progress and I know you followed the research because he told me so and that he was considering bringing you in to help out when he was in DC but we never got a chance before his accident." Callie answered as she noticed the tears appear in Amelia's eyes but never fall.

"I did follow the research. It is quite fascinating and cutting edge work. I will think about it Callie but I need a few days to wrap my head around it since it was Derek's project you know," Amelia answered quietly thinking about what was said about her brother wanting her to work with them on this before his accident.

"Thanks and I'm not due to start back to work until Monday so I can't see me having everything ready to present to the board for at least a month since I have to inventory what I have and see what I really need to make advancements. I plan on spending most of my time here on research actually. Don't get me wrong, I will cut as often as I can but I need to get things settled with my life and my projects were a big part of that. I have to put down roots for Sofia to feel secure again in the fact that I will not take her away from Arizona again like I did before."

"You know, it's not just Arizona anymore right? She has a step-mom in Meredith and a brother and sisters in Bailey, Ellis, and Zola. She has aunts in Maggie and myself and not to mention her Uncle Alex. Her grandparents are here all the time now too since they moved nearby. She missed more than Arizona over the past year and we all missed her as well."

"I know and I'm seeing more and more that I royally screwed up by taking her so far away from her home," Callie sighed sadly as she wiped a tear from her eyes before standing up and heading for the office door. "Just think about the project and I promise to try and behave. I can't say I won't slip-up for a while but I can promise that I'm not out to cause them problems."

"Okay, Callie," Amelia said before Callie walked out her office. She could understand the slip-up especially after what she heard coming from Murphy but they would still keep an eye on her until they were absolutely sure she wasn't trying to get Arizona back. Now, she needed to page the two Dr. Robbins-Grey so she could fill them in on what she heard from Murphy and about the scene from earlier because they all know it doesn't take news long to spread around Grey-Sloan.

* * *

After Arizona and Meredith arrived in Amelia's office, she retold them the whole story and finished by saying, "That's about it. I just thought you should hear it from me or Mag's before you heard from whoever managed to see the altercation and might have overheard anything."

"Wow, so that's like creeping me out about Lauren and Murphy," Arizona replied with a little shiver as she sat in Amelia's office next to her wife on the sofa holding her hand.

"What that they are together?" Meredith asked curious about what Arizona was thinking.

"No, that they get turned on by me, or rather screaming my name, while they have sex," Arizona answered her wife. "That's just a little creepy don't you think?"

"I think I want to pluck both of their eyes out because not only have they seen you naked but they have also had sex with you and apparently want to again. That's my first reaction but then my second is that I really want to have them hear you screaming my name as I fuck you senseless so they know who you belong to and that includes Callie for her slip-up. I know it was a slip and I understand the situation brought up a rough time for her and all, but Amelia and Maggie were right. I would have drug you off somewhere to have my way with you if I had heard them talking. Hell, I want to take you now from just hearing about what was said."

"As hot as that would be to see, don't do that on my sofa or talk about doing it on my sofa. I have sex there with Abby regularly and don't want that image in my mind while I get mine so that I don't accidentally slip-up and say the wrong name." Amelia smiled sweetly over at the two women. She was only half joking because that would be really hot to see if she didn't view Meredith as a sister now. "Seriously, I can tell Callie was mortified that she slipped up and called you her wife in the heat of the moment. I'm not worried about that since I talked it out with her and I am going to consider the offer to work with her on the brain mapping for the prosthetic. I want to know what we should do about Murphy and her obsession with you and the fact that she can't keep her mouth quiet about it. Not to mention, the fact that with Boswell opening a private practice here in Seattle she will more than likely end up in our hospital on a regular basis. That has disaster written all over it if she comes across Callie."

"Ugh, God you're right about that," Meredith groaned. "Callie will always have a problem with Boswell and we can't fault her for it either. Maybe we just let her have it out with her if they do cross paths and hope it gets it out of her system somewhat. We can monitor the situation to see if it looks like it will happen here at the hospital and make sure no blood is shed but that's about all we can do. Maybe we should alert Miranda just in case so she can let us know if Boswell receives privileges here anytime soon."

"We can bring it to Bailey and let her know our concerns with Boswell and Callie because it will come to a confrontation when the two meet again," Arizona suggested. "There's no doubt about that. I want something done about Murphy and her loose lips in the hallways as well. I mean gossip is spread fast around this place and she and I have been the subject matter enough times for me already. I'm not sure what but maybe we can just go and let Miranda know what happened today and she can figure something out since it is her job as Chief after all."

"Sounds like a plan," Amelia said. "Now, when is the big day of the move?"

"The moving company is scheduled for Monday and we have 3 days off," Arizona replied.

"Yeah, they claim it will only take them a day to get everything loaded and moved into the new house where it goes. Since we went with new furnishings, it's mostly clothes and personal stuff to be moved so it shouldn't take long to unpack it all. The kids will be at daycare the first day and Barbara and Daniel have offered to help with the unpacking." Meredith added. "Maggie only has a few boxes and bought most everything new for the guest house so she said her and Sam can have her place done by the end of the week if they work on it in the evenings after their shifts end."

"Is Sam moving in?" Questioned Amelia.

"Nah, it hasn't been that long but I wouldn't be surprised if in about 6 months she does," Meredith laughed. "She asked me the other day what the normal amount of time needs to pass before asking someone to move in. She rambled so much I could barely get a word in edgewise."

"What about you and Abby? Are you asking her soon to move in with you or what?" Arizona asked noticing the contemplative look on Amelia's face when the subject was brought up.

"Oh, I asked her the other day and she already has so much stuff at the apartment it won't take much to move her in actually," Amelia answered but Arizona and Meredith both noticed she had something else on her mind.

"What is it? You are thinking about something else. We can see it," said Meredith.

"She mentioned that marriage and kids are next," sighed Amelia.

"What's wrong with that? Don't you want to have those things with her one day?" Arizona coaxed to try and get the reticent woman talking.

"I do and that scares the hell out of me," Amelia replied honestly. "I never thought I would want to have another baby after what happened last time. That is something that I wouldn't survive again."

"You would survive because you have an amazing support system now but you won't have to survive anything because you have amazing sisters who are awesome and one of them happens to be excellent in fetal surgery," Arizona replied. "It's hard to lose a baby. I know when I miscarried it tore me apart so I can't imagine giving birth to my child only to hold him while he died in my arms but Amelia the experience of raising your child and watching them grow and love is worth the risk."

Arizona turned to Meredith and smiled as she added, "It's one experience I want to go through again with you by my side. I have put a lot of thought into this since we talked and maybe in a few months after we've settled in the house and the adoptions are done we can look into starting the process."

"Really," Meredith questioned quietly with nothing but love in her eyes as she stared at her wife. "I thought you wasn't sure because of everything from before and the leg."

"I know we can get through anything but I believe things will go smoothly this time. I have faith in this and in us," Arizona answered smiling her magical dimpled smile at her wife. "Plus, with Callie back in the hospital I'm sure you and I can talk her into working with Dave if we need to about my prosthetic if it becomes an issue. Hell, there has to have been other pregnant amputees before me."

"If you can't talk her into it, I'm sure Maggie and I can come up with a way to make her cooperate," chuckled Amelia. She knew they hadn't forgotten she was there and was touched that Arizona laid her fears out in front of her so that she could help her understand that she wasn't alone anymore and that if she wanted to have a baby with Abby they would be there for her too. "Now, before Meredith starts trying to make babies with you on my sofa again, and from the way she's looking at you right now I'd say that's a great possibility, why don't we go find Bailey so we can fill her in so you two can get out of here and settle the nieces and nephew that I already have for the night so you can start working on the new addition."

They all grinned knowing that Arizona was going to have her hands full with her amorous wife later as they headed off to find Bailey. Hopefully, she could let them know if a disaster was headed their way with Boswell and Callie and take care of Murphy and her loose lips in their hallways.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"First, I want to say that I'm glad you all decided to attend this mandatory meeting since I really didn't want to suspend any of you," Bailey began standing in front of this group or interns and residents with a few attendings scattered about. This was the third and final group she needed to speak with and hopefully her words had an impact on them before she had to start suspending the lot of them. "It's come to my attention lately that you all think that the hallways, OR's, on-call rooms, or any other spot in this hospital is a place for you talk about your business and everyone else's business as well. It's not people. You are here to learn and do the job we hired you to do. Taking care of our patients is your top concern while in these walls and not who is sleeping with whom or what you do in your own bedroom. I know we have couples on staff and you people see each other so much your dating pool is basically here as well, but that doesn't mean I want to hear about it or that I want to have any of you speculating about any of the couples that are here. It disrupts my staff and makes you all look like children by either tattling on each other or passing schoolyard gossip when something happens because something is always happening around here. If any of you think I'm just blowing hot air, I suggest you ask Dr. Murphy about that when she returns from her suspension next week. Now, you get a warning the first time, the next time you get a one week suspension, the third times a month long suspension with a permanent note in your file, and the fourth is termination. We run a hospital not a daycare or a high school so grow up and do your damn jobs like the adults you're supposed to be. Now, go to work people."

After Bailey dismissed this group, she noticed that Callie was hanging back so she approached the other woman after the lecture hall cleared out.

"What is it Dr. Torres?" Bailey asked looking at her with a skeptical eye.

"I just wanted to apologize for my part in that episode the other day. I know that is what lead to all of this. Even though today is my first day back, I was already causing trouble," Callie told her sincerely.

"Murphy had already been warned before you even showed back up," Miranda replied. "She knew she was on thin ice when she was accepted back into the program. Something that I wasn't consulted on by the way because I would not have voted for her to come back. She was disruptive before and she seems to not have learned from her previous mistakes. Don't make me regret agreeing to let you come back because you can't learn from yours."

"I will try my best and it's like I've been saying, I'm not trying to cause problems. I'm trying to fix my mess and I know that things will be rough but I'm not out to deliberately cause problems for anyone." Callie said with a look that was pleading for understanding.

"Good, remember that and we'll be fine Torres. Now, don't you have somewhere else to be," Miranda said as way of dismissal.

"Yeah, I need to head up and check on my labs and get started making lists. I'll see you around Bailey and thanks again for the second chance," Callie said before turning and heading out the door.

Miranda knew things would never be calm around here because they were family and family was messy but she would keep an eye on things and hope for the best.

* * *

Callie was having an alright first day back so far. After the meeting this morning, and her following talk with Bailey she spent the morning checking on her labs. She had decided that the cartilage lab was basically good to go. She wasn't sure she could take that research much further since she had already made cartilage that was being used in patients successfully for a while now. She would look into ways of improving the method and maybe the finished product but she had done an amazing job the first time around.

Her focus would mainly be on the prosthetic for the Wounded Warriors project. Most of that funding came from government grants and she would need to reapply for those soon but the hospital had funded a portion of that research since it could be used to help private citizens eventually. That would mean big business and notoriety for the hospital. She already held several patents for the designs and hoped to be able to make the project encompass civilians soon. Hopefully, Amelia would sign on to help out with the sensors since that required a skilled neurosurgeon to do the brain mapping for the correct placement.

She was sitting in the attendings lounge having lunch when Karev and Jo walked in followed by Amelia and Maggie. They all noticed her but kept the conversation going as they all took seats and started in on their own lunches.

"I'm just saying that I don't think we should worry about it right now," Karev was saying to the group. "Bailey said she would arrange the schedule so that most of us had Saturday off and that should give us time to organize this crap. It's just Monday that gives us 5 days."

"Five days isn't a lot of time to plan a party Alex, especially when we need to plan for more than alcohol like you usually do," Jo replied. "We need to invite everyone and then get a good idea of who's coming so we can get the food handled too."

"Plus, we have to keep it on the down-low around here if you want it to be a surprise for them," Maggie said. "They should have everything unpacked and be settled in before they come back to work Thursday. Barbara and Daniel are there today to help with the kids stuff and since they're basically only moving clothes and personal effects the movers said they should have everything in place ready to start unpacking by 2 o'clock today. I only had like 4 boxes and there's a few things my parents are sending from my storage back home so between me and Sam I'll be done quickly and will be able to help them as well."

"Abby and I offered to help but Meredith said that between them and Arizona's parents it wouldn't be much to do really," Amelia added. "I think we can pull it off and I know they are going to be out the house with the kids most of Saturday. Meredith said that they are taking them to that new kids explorium that opened up by the aquarium and then out to that restaurant the kids loved that they found by the park near the house. That should give us enough time to set up and have everyone there to surprise them when they get home."

"See no worries babe," Karev said before his pager went off. "Damn it, 911 to the ER. I never get to finish a meal around this place. See you later."

He shoved another bite into his mouth before trashing the rest and hurrying out the door.

"I don't know how you live with him Jo," Maggie chuckled as she shook her head.

"He's a good guy under all the crass," Jo laughed before groaning when her pager went off as well so she stood up and trashed the rest of her lunch as well. "Ugh, I have to go too. The general surgeon who's on duty today is nothing like Dr. Robbins-Grey. He is okay but he's an ass and thinks we are here to get his damn dry cleaning and not to learn anything from him."

Callie's head shot up at the name and turned to look at Amelia and Maggie just as the door closed behind Jo. "Did she just say Dr. Robbins-Grey in reference to Meredith?"

"Yeah, why? They've been using their new names since they got married," replied Amelia as she continued to eat her lunch in case she was the next one paged.

"I didn't know they changed their names," Callie said with a touch of sadness. "The surgical board still had Grey and Robbins written on it when I was here the other day so this is the first time I've heard about it."

"Oh, well, the Chief said it would cost her valuable time to write out their new names so she just stuck to writing out Grey or Robbins," Maggie replied to Callie noticing that the other woman seemed a little put out by this new info as she motioned with her eyes for Amelia to look at Callie too.

"I wonder what made them change their names this time when neither of them did before," Callie wondered out loud. She was more or less talking to herself while she processed the news that Arizona now carried Meredith's last name when she had never carried hers.

"Do you want an honest answer?" Amelia asked as she watched Callie to see how she was reacting to the fact that Arizona had taken Meredith's last name and vice versa.

"Yeah," Callie answered immediately even if she was apprehensive to hear the reason.

"Meredith said it was so that everyone would start thinking of them as the couple that they are and not as your cheating ex-wife or Derek's widow but that secretly it turned her and Arizona on since it pleased the new jealous possessive side of Meredith," Amelia answered honestly and noticed the hurt flash across Callie's face when she mentioned the cheating ex-wife part and then the slight cringe when she mentioned the secret turn on.

"Right, I could have gone on not knowing all of that just fine," Callie sighed eyeing the other two women who seemed to be watching for her to spontaneously combust or something. "It hurts but I'm not going to blow a gasket guys. Seriously, I can handle hearing about them without completely losing it."

"Good because they are a big part of the day to day around here," Amelia told her before beginning to gather up her trash to hand to Maggie who was already cleaning up her mess. "They are very affectionate and very open with their relationship. I know it will hurt to see but you can't lose it or avoid it since they seem to be everywhere."

"It will take some getting used to but I will deal with it since Sofia needs both her mom's to get along and I have upset my baby enough over the past year," Callie shrugged her shoulders as a way of saying what else can I do.

"Good, if you behave this week when they get back we may invite you to their surprise housewarming party on Saturday since it's for them and the kids. I'm sure Sofia would like you to see her new place too," Amelia told Callie as she and Maggie got ready to head out the door.

"For what's it worth Callie," Maggie said as she paused just inside the door after Amelia walked out first. "I think you are handling this better than most people would in your situation. I know it's mostly due to Sofia and I admire that you are willing to hurt a little so your daughter can see you both all the time."

After she finished talking, she gave Callie a small smile and walked out leaving the brunette alone again.

Callie's only thought was _'If only it hurt just a little'_ then she wouldn't be feeling like she was being pulled apart at the seams right now knowing that Arizona carried Meredith's last name. She knew it was irrational since she knew they were married but somehow this little fact hurt her more than seeing a ring on Arizona's finger that was placed there by someone other than herself.

* * *

"I think that we are finally done," Meredith said as she sat down beside her wife Wednesday night. "Why don't we get the kids settled in bed and take a nice long bath?"

"That sounds amazing," Arizona answered as she leaned her head on Meredith's shoulder. "I'm never moving again. It takes too much effort and time. We could have done something better with 3 days off in a row besides unpacking."

"I totally agree so it's a good thing we built our dream house and plan on staying together for the rest of our lives," Meredith answered before kissing Arizona on the head before moving her shoulder to dislodge her wife. "Let's roundup the kids and get them in bed so we can get to that super relaxing soak in the bath you promised me a few minutes ago."

After the kids were down for the night, and they were soaking in their amazing new bath Meredith brought up something that had been on her mind for a few days now.

"When do you want to set up an appointment to see about getting started on our new addition?"

"I think that we can go ahead and see the specialist about any tests that I need to have to determine if I can even attempt to carry a child again," Arizona answered as she felt Meredith wrap her arms a little tighter around her. "If that's all clear, then I would like to see what our best options would be to get me pregnant the quickest. I'm sure it will be IVF which means I will need to take shots to help boost my egg production so they can be harvested and fertilized before being implanted and hope one takes."

"So that will take us how long?" Meredith asked as she placed a kiss on the side of Arizona's neck just below her ear.

"If we make an appointment soon, we can possibly be ready to implant before the kids go back to school and right after the adoptions should be taken care of," Arizona answered tilting her head a little to give her wife better access to her oh so sensitive neck. Meredith's slow lazy kisses was starting to drive her mad.

"Sounds like we need to call and setup that appointment soon then," Meredith said before kissing down Arizona's neck to her shoulder where she bit down gently and then soothed the area with her tongue. "I can't wait to see you pregnant with our next child. You will be even more beautiful than you already are and I can already tell that it will be hard to keep my hands off you. Just the thought makes me want to ravish you."

"There's nothing stopping you from ravishing me right now is there," groaned Arizona as Meredith lightly sucked on her pulse point before scraping her teeth upwards before sucking her earlobe into her mouth before releasing it to answer.

"No, there isn't so why don't you and I get out and dry off so that I can show you just what the mere thought of you being pregnant does to me."

Arizona knew they were looking at a long night of worshiping one another and even though they had work tomorrow and knew they should get some sleep after all the work they had done to unpack the house the past few days she couldn't think of anything other than her gorgeous wife and how much she loved this amazing woman.

* * *

Arizona was right the night before since they were both tired this morning. After they dropped the kids off at daycare, they headed hand in hand to the board room. They knew this board meeting wasn't on schedule when they left and wondered what had popped up in the 3 days they had been away.

They entered the room and noticed that everyone was there already except for Jackson. They helped themselves to the pastries and the coffee before sitting at the table with everyone else. It was strange to see Callie in attendance for the first time in over a year but they greeted her alongside everyone else.

As soon as Jackson stepped in and took his seat he began, "I know this meeting wasn't on the schedule until a few days ago but somethings have come to my attention recently and I think we need to address them sooner rather than later. It seems my mother has it in her head that we need to bring in someone new to revamp the intern and residency program even though her husband is over it. Not to mention, since Dr. Boswell and her business partner are opening a private practice nearby, she seems to think we should try and sway her to use our hospital exclusively. Now, we all know that neither of these are good ideas so the solution is to cut her off before she gets going. I did some research and we could use a little improvement with the teaching program and we can hire someone to come in and work alongside Richard to help catch us up to other programs. If my mother has her way, I can almost guarantee the program will basically be scrapped and completely revamped with a new person overseeing it. I checked into the woman she is interested in bringing in and everywhere she goes the program improves while she is there but once she leaves the program takes a dive after a year or two and by then the old director is out of the picture. I looked into bringing in Dr. Nadia Reynolds. She is the person who usually comes in and sets the programs back up after Dr. Eliza Minnick's revamp fails after a few years. You all will have the info emailed to you right after this meeting. My mother meets with Dr. Minnick next month so we need to move on this to cut her off. We will have a meeting in a few days to vote on whether we pursue Dr. Reynolds or wait and see what my mother does. Next, I have Dr. Andrea Michaels coming in to apply for the newly opened spot we have for a craniofacial specialists. She trained with the same group as Dr. Boswell and recently turned down an offer made by Dr. Boswell and her business partner to join their new firm. She is just as sought after as they are and would make a great addition to this hospital. With Arizona's fetal surgery fellowship and the possibility of adding another rare specialty we will be the premier teaching hospital on the west coast hands down. Any questions?"

After they talked back and forth over their options, they decided to go ahead and vote now to bring in both doctors as soon as possible to cut Kathrine off before she could even suggest either the idea of replacing Richard or of bringing in that train wreck Dr. Boswell. Hopefully, things wouldn't get out of hand like they feared possible if Kathrine interfered too much with the running of their hospital.

After the meeting as Callie was getting ready to exit the conference room she heard Meredith call out, "Hey Callie, hold back a minute please."

"Sure," Callie answered as she waited for everyone else to leave. She couldn't help but wonder what they needed to speak to her about.

After everyone was gone Meredith and Arizona walked hand in hand over to where Callie was leaning against the wall by the door. Callie wanted to cringe away from the sight of the two holding hands but managed to keep a neutral expression on her face.

"What's up?" Callie asked.

"We just wanted to see if you have settled into the house yet," Meredith replied.

"Yeah, I just had the suitcase from my hotel room to bring over at first but I have Monday and Tuesday off next week so I'll rent a moving truck and bring the things Sofia and I'll need from the Pod that arrived yesterday at the storage facility I kept. You left the house pretty furnished so I will barely be bringing anything which will help when I have to move when I do find a house."

"You don't have to be in a hurry Callie," Arizona said. "Take your time and find your footing again and then look for a place. It will help us out since the house won't be sitting empty. It will give us a chance to look into a project that Meredith and I would like to eventually do with that house anyways."

"What project? If you don't mind me asking," questioned Callie.

"Well, I don't want to sell it and since I wanted to keep it for when someone needed a place to stay I was thinking of offering it to the hospital to use for the first year interns that arrive each year. Give them a room for their first year as an incentive to join our program while allowing them time to look for a place of their own before the next year's interns move in. Of course, they would have to meet certain requirements since there's not enough room here for a whole intern class but Bailey and the lawyers could handle screening and stuff. If it works out we could purchase other houses nearby and use them the same way." Meredith said and shrugged her shoulder at the end.

"I think it would be a great way to draw applicants to our program that are undetermined because of the fact that they would be moving across the country without family and friends. Hopefully, that's something we can implement before next year's interns arrive which gives you at least 10 months to find a place and move if Bailey and the board like our idea." Arizona added before continuing. "When you are settled in the house, we can see if Sofia would like to stay with you for a weekend."

"Yeah, that would be great. I miss her and I can't begin to understand what this past year was like for you without her around everyday. She may not be staying with me but I still get to see her most days." Callie said remorsefully. She really couldn't understand how Arizona wasn't more resentful of her for this past year but if she had to guess she would have to admit that it was probably because Arizona was happy with her life and wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that feeling.

"Okay, well, we have an appointment soon so we need to go," Meredith said as she tugged on Arizona's hand to get her moving after she had noticed the time. She didn't want to get into a heavy conversation when they had an appointment in a half hour to get to. "See you around."

"Bye, Callie," Arizona said as her wife tugged her toward the door. She knew Meredith was just excited and not being rude on purpose.

"Yeah, bye," Callie mumbled a little confused but followed them out the door anyways.

Arizona had called the doctor that she had used last time she had gotten pregnant this morning on their way to the hospital and it just so happened she had an opening today due to a cancellation. She wanted to get the process started so that she and Meredith should be able to see about implantation in a few months when the adoptions were done and they had all settled into the new house.

She had a few fertilized eggs stored from before but she wouldn't even think of using those since those were from the time she and Callie had gone through this process. She wasn't sure what she would do with them but she knew that she would start this process anew with her wife. They would go through the steps of harvesting her eggs and picking a donor together as well as all the steps that followed. She couldn't wait.

Meredith just smiled over at her wife as they headed to the elevators with Callie following behind them quietly observing the two unnoticed by either of them.

"Are you as excited as I am?" Meredith questioned after she pushed the button for the elevator to go down.

"I am very excited and very surprised that there was an opening today," Arizona replied as she squeezed her wife's hand lovingly.

As the elevator opened, Meredith chuckled and said, "Well, let's go, our next awesome adventure awaits."

"Yes, it does and it will be awesome and everything will go great," Arizona answered with her magical dimpled smile beaming.

They noticed Callie had been standing behind them once they had stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button for the floor they needed but neither were bothered by what she may have heard. If things went well for them after all, everyone would know eventually.

Callie was left wondering what they were talking about as she waited on the next elevator. Her curiosity was peaked however so she looked to see what floor their elevator stopped on. When she saw that it was the second floor her heart bottomed out. There was only two real specialty's on that floor since it was one she had visited many times with Arizona years before and they were Dermatology and Fertility.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The next few days passed uneventfully for most everyone.

Callie still seemed to be having trouble being in their vicinity but they knew she would have to deal with that herself. Meredith had told her from the beginning she wouldn't treat her wife any different than she had been and she had not held back on anything. So more than once Callie had seen them share hugs and kisses along with the I love you's they shared freely.

Meredith and Arizona were ecstatic since Arizona's blood work showed she was all good and ready to start the shots needed to boost her egg production so they could harvest as many as possible. They had picked up the donor books already and planned to start looking through them the next day, on Sunday since they had a full day planned with the kids today at the new explorium and lunch at the kids favorite restaurant followed by a relaxing afternoon at home. Little did they know, they had a house full of people waiting on them.

It was almost time for the surprise housewarming party to start. Everyone was gathered in the backyard waiting on the happy couple and the kids to arrive home from their outing. Everyone had met at the hospital so they could park there and ride the hospital's shuttle over to the house and then it would return to pick them up. Bailey had arranged for it all since you couldn't very well surprise someone if they pulled up to their house full of parked cars.

Amelia had invited Callie the day before as promised since she hadn't caused any problems at work this week and Amelia just hoped that things went okay today as well since Callie accepted the offer.

Callie figured she should be here for Sofia at least. Yes, she was curious about the home that the couple had built together but she was looking forward to seeing Sofia. She had missed having her in the house everyday and hoped that by the end of summer Sofia would be ready to at least start her weekly rotation again.

"Okay, everyone be quiet, they just entered the gate so they will be here soon," Maggie instructed as she walked into the couples house. The plan was for her to intercept everyone and lead them out back with an excuse of some kind where they would find their friends and family waiting to surprise them. The food had been delivered and set up earlier, Karev had gotten a friend of his to set up as DJ, and Maggie and Amelia had set up a surprise for the kids, a small bouncy house.

"Hey guys," Maggie greeted them as they opened the door. "I hoped to catch you before you took off shoes and coats since there's something I want to show you out back."

"Is everything okay?" Questioned Meredith as she and Arizona started following Maggie through the house with the kids.

"It's fine, just something I think you should see," Maggie said as she opened the back door and let the happy couple and their kids go through it first. She heard the gathered group yell out 'Surprise!' as soon they had seen them emerge onto the back deck.

"Yes, this is definitely a surprise," mumbled Arizona as she caught sight of Callie standing off towards the back of the assembled group.

The party was a big success all around. The kids loved all the attention and the bouncy house was a great hit. The adults enjoyed the music, food, and company as well. The couple had let the kids help them open the presents they had received. Amelia and Maggie had made sure to tell everyone that the couple didn't need traditional housewarming gifts but if anyone wanted to give something sentimental or a small memento that would be better.

Bailey had given them a framed copy of the email that the sisters had sent out right after Arizona and Meredith came out as a couple. The sisters had went together and created a photo album of their wedding day. Barbara and Daniel had given them a set of children's books that had once belonged to Arizona and Timothy that they had came across when they packed for their own move earlier that year. Richard bought them several different editions of Trivial Pursuit and jokingly said just because Arizona was a married woman now didn't mean that their game nights had to stop. Karev and Jo gave them a booklet of free passes for babysitting nights and told them not to try and cash them in all at once.

The kids received gifts as well. They racked up on toys and books for their new room. Alex had even bought them a new game system and several games that were parental approved. Sofia had received a photo album with pictures of her, her Mami, her Tia Aria, and her Abuelo Carlos from their last visit to Miami from her Abuelo. Callie had also given Sofia a few framed pictures of them together for her new room as well as gifts for Zola, Bailey, and Ellis.

But Barbara and Daniel's gift for the children stole the show when they were each given a set of authentic US Military issued dog tags with their names, info, and the Colonel's name, rank, and Military ID number on them. He told each child that this was a sign to everyone that they were his grandchildren and that they were all to be respected as such since they were each training to be a good man in a storm. Barbara had then handed them a display box that contained the flag they had received in Timothy's honor with his picture on display in his dress uniform from his graduation ceremony before he was shipped overseas and said their uncle would always be a guiding spirit who would look after them in troubling times.

By the end of this touching seen, there wasn't a dry eye to be found. Arizona hugged them both tightly and thanked them for the awesome gifts. Meredith wasn't far behind in that hug as she expressed her gratitude as well.

"This is what family is and what we do and our grandchildren deserve to have that history shared and our values passed onto them," replied the Colonel as he stepped back beside his wife after the heartfelt exchange.

* * *

The party was finally winding down and everyone was getting ready to load back onto the shuttle. The sisters had insisted that along with their girlfriends they would handle all the clean up with Karev and Jo helping his friend load up the DJ's equipment before catching the shuttle with everyone else.

Arizona had noticed that Callie was hanging back and getting in as much time with Sofia as possible so she spoke quickly with Meredith and Amelia before heading over to her daughter and ex-wife.

"Hey," she said as she approached the duo. "If you want, you can hang out a while longer with Sof' and catch a ride back with Amelia and Abby after they help clean-up that way she can show you around the house and her room if you want."

"Please, Mami," Sofia asked as she looked up at her other mother. She wanted to show her all the new cool things around the house and her room.

"Sure mija," Callie answered with a soft smile. Truthfully, she wanted to spend more time with her daughter but the prospect of watching Arizona and Meredith together as a family was the farthest thing from what she had wanted to do.

She had spent the entire afternoon trying not to break down and cry or explode in a moment of weakness at her friend every time she saw Meredith interact with her ex-wife. The fact that they were surrounded by people waiting on just that to occur tempered her emotions but damn it, it was so freaking hard to not just go off on Meredith. She had an internal battle all afternoon raging inside herself. She knew she had done this to herself really but that still didn't take the sting out of seeing them so obviously happy together with the full support of all their friends and family around.

"Come on Mami," Sofia said as she pulled her toward the back door. "I want to show you my room and then the playroom we can study in too."

Meredith and Arizona hung out back for a while with the others and helped them clean-up even though the sisters had stated that it wasn't necessary. Meredith really just wanted to avoid Callie since she had seen some of the looks that slipped across the Latina's face when she had seen her kiss her wife before she could school her features and Arizona wanted to let her have a little time with Sofia.

Sofia had lead Callie straight to her room and showed her everything. She then lead her Mami over to the playroom the kids shared that doubled as their study. Callie listened to Sofia tell her all about the house and how much she loved being here with her brother and sisters. It tore Callie up even more realizing that Sofia was extremely happy with the idea of siblings and living here with them. She felt like crying over the missed opportunity that her and Arizona had for giving Sofia a sibling when they went through Arizona's miscarriage before their divorce. Of course, that started her mind wandering back to the other day and what she overheard between Meredith and Arizona before they got on the elevator that stopped on the floor of the Fertility specialists in the hospital.

The other kids soon gained Sofia's attention as they all piled onto the sofa and started playing the game system that their Uncle Alex had snuck in and set-up for them after they had opened it. He knew that Arizona and Meredith were technologically challenged when it came to certain things and knew game systems and TV's were one of their downfalls. He had to help each of them at some point in the past set-up their DVR's and knew the system would give them grief if they had to hook it up so he would just as soon avoid having to come back over later to do it when he could do it now.

Callie watched them for a few minutes before heading out to see where the others were. As she walked back through the house she couldn't help but admire how beautiful the place was and how it seemed to encompass both the women's style so easily. As she was about to step into the kitchen to head out the back door she noticed a very familiar pamphlet setting on the little table by the wall that held a bowl of keys and some mail.

She just stood there a moment lost in thought until she was interrupted by Meredith and Arizona coming in the back door.

"Hey, we were just coming in to check-up on the kids," Meredith said as she noticed Callie staring at their key table.

"Oh, they're in their playroom on the game system," Callie answered distractedly. Still staring at the familiar pamphlet.

"Callie, are you okay?" Arizona asked as she noticed that Callie was just standing there staring at their key table. Then she noticed what was laying there and sighed, "Oh."

Meredith had now noticed the object that had her friend so distracted and wondered if this was going to be the breaking point for Callie as she stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on her wife's back when Callie snapped her head around and locked eyes with Arizona.

"Oh, that's all you have to say? Seriously?" Callie said staring at Arizona. "I can't believe you would do this without talking to me about it first. We done that together Arizona and I should have a say in this."

"Why should you have a say in anything we do Callie?" Meredith snapped quietly at her friend drawing her attention off Arizona who was looking at Callie a little bewildered. They were all trying to keep their voices down since the kids were just down the hall. "This has nothing to do with you! It's between me and Arizona and no one else!"

"How can it not have everything to do with me! It was me who was married to her when we decided to create those lives together. I was the one there when her eggs were collected and I was the one that helped her pick out the donor to what were supposed to be our possible children and you expect me to be okay with you being the parent to what was supposed to be my child!" Callie all but growled out at Meredith.

"Callie, calm down," Arizona started. "You have jumped to the wrong conclusion. Yes, that is the same clinic where my previous fertilized eggs are stored but I have no intention on using them this time. As you said, that was between the two of us and I want this process to be between me and Meredith. I was calling to look at what options I have regarding those two fertilized eggs that are in storage. Unfortunately, if they aren't used soon they will no longer be viable. They advised that I can donate them to a couple whose eggs aren't suitable but I need to think about that since I would have a child out there somewhere that I didn't know and I'm not entirely sure I would be comfortable with that option but I'm also not comfortable with the idea of letting them become useless when they could help a couple in need who want nothing more than a child of their own."

Callie just took a deep breath and let it out before looking at the two women in front of her again, "I'm sorry that I freaked out and that I jumped to conclusions but this is a lot for me to handle. I mean it hurts seeing you together and I have been doing my best to accept things. Seeing that pamphlet made me think about the baby we lost and the lost chance at giving Sofia something she apparently loves having with siblings. She absolutely loves it here and I'm worried she won't want to come and live with me again even if it's every other week when you give her a new baby brother or sister which I'm assuming is going to happen by that pamphlet and the fact the elevator you guys were on stopped on the fertility floor at the hospital after I overheard you two talking the other day."

She was rambling and she knew it but she was stressed out and this was a lot for her to handle.

"Callie, I would have talked to you about those fertilized eggs before I made a decision regarding them and yes, we are starting the process of having another child, not that it's anyone's business but ours. I don't want this to get out yet so please respect that and not mention this to anyone. As far as the stored eggs, we have until the end of next month to decide what to do with them so please seriously think about it. I'm not sure at this point but I'm definitely leaning towards donating them instead of them being destroyed but only if I can meet with the prospective parents and have them agree that when the child reaches maturity they will be informed of their lineage so that they can have all the medical information they may need on my family and the donors info and so they can avoid having relationships with anyone they may be kin to as well."

"Arizona, if you decide to donate them I can't stop you as I have no legal claim to them. It just bothered me to think that you would use one or both of them to raise a child with someone else when we did that together," Callie explained sadly. "Really, I'm not comfortable with the idea of them being destroyed or whatever will happen if you don't decide to donate so I'm okay with that option, even if I technically don't have a say in the matter."

"Callie we made those decisions together and you do have a say but I understand where you are coming from," Arizona replied just as sadly. "However, you need to come to terms with the fact that I will be pregnant with a child, hopefully in the next 6 months, that has nothing to do with you other than being Sofia's brother or sister."

"I am trying Arizona," Callie said as tears started running down her face. "It's hard to see you with anyone else and I'm so, so sorry for what you had to go through when I started seeing Penny and the relationship was just everywhere in your face. I know how you must have felt now and I can't begin to understand how you handled everything. Especially, when I took our child across the freaking country. I'm not dealing with her being away from me very well and I see her when I want to. I'm trying and that's all I can promise right now besides that I won't say anything to anyone about you trying to have a child together. I'm sorry to you to Meredith for snapping at you but I really don't know how to look at you some days since you have everything I want at the moment and it hurts to see you with her but I promise I'm trying to get over it."

"Callie," Meredith said as she stood studying her friend. "I can understand it hurts you but honestly you are doing this to yourself. You moved on and moved across the country with your girlfriend for fuck's sake. You wasn't so in love with Arizona then were you? I can't see anyway you would have left her sitting in that therapist's office that day either. You moved on and started over with someone else and it didn't work out so you hopped on a plane and convinced yourself that you were still in love with Arizona and that is why things didn't work out for you in New York. Now, while that maybe true, I think it just didn't work out because you and Blake were in two different places in your lives and you are now trying to cling to something that is familiar for you. You need to come to accept that this is happening and that Arizona and I are happily married and planning on adding another child to our household. I love her beyond reason and you nor anyone else is going to change that ever. I think you should do some serious soul searching or maybe go back to talk with the therapist that you had before because I know she was a big help to Arizona after you walked away that day."

"She's right Callie," Arizona added as she reached over and entwined her hand with her wife's. "You need to talk to someone about all of this since I can see it's tearing you up inside and that's not healthy for you or Sofia. She picks up on our moods and you know that now better than ever. I will let you know what I decide about the eggs but as far as my having another child with Meredith you will only find out what everyone else does since that is between her and I. Now, I think Amelia has been patient enough standing back by the door listening to all of this and is waiting on you so she can drop you back at the hospital. Oh and Amelia, don't give her a hard time either, this was hard enough and we expect you to keep this to yourself and not involve the other three musketeers that are out back until we decide we want to tell them."

"I promise Arizona," Amelia replied sincerely. "I want mention a word and I think from the looks of Callie she has enough to think about without hearing it from me."

With that Amelia left and after Callie spared one final look at Arizona stood there hand in hand with Meredith she followed her without saying a word.

"Come on, let's check on our kids and then we can talk if you need to," Meredith said as she pulled Arizona down the hall towards the kids.

"I'm good for now," Arizona replied as she pulled Meredith to a stop just before reaching the kids door. She gave her a kiss and leaned her forehead against Mer's and continued, "I love you and we have nothing to worry about since that will not change. We are going to have an awesome life from here on out and raise our kids as a family and hopefully welcome a new little one within the year."

"Yes, we are, and I love you too," Meredith smiled back before kissing her again before they headed into check on the kids.

* * *

The end of summer break was here. The girls would start back to school this week and so Arizona had to speak with Callie about Sofia. They haven't really spoken since the beginning of the summer after the housewarming party. Callie had been polite any time she had ran into either of them but that was it as far as interaction between them went really except for where it came to planning for Sofia to spend a few days with Callie when she managed to have the rare two days in a row off.

Arizona and Meredith had received the news that the adoptions were approved and had visited the court earlier in the week to sign the papers in front of the judge so they could be filed with the proper authorities. Arizona couldn't have been happier. Not only had the adoptions gone through but they had harvested 6 eggs last week and two were fertilized with the donor sperm right afterwards. The implantation procedure would happen in a few days. They had agreed to implant two fertilized eggs to double their chances of a successful pregnancy. Her and Meredith had decided on using a blonde haired, blue eyed donor that was a Harvard law grad that seemed very athletic. Meredith was secretly hoping for a mini-Arizona dimples and all while Arizona was only wanting a healthy baby regardless of his or her looks.

Arizona had decided that she would indeed donate the fertilized eggs that was still in cryo storage from her time with Callie. The clinic had arranged for her to meet with a lesbian couple that both had been unable to produce viable eggs. Both had successful careers, were in their early thirties, and had been together for 10 years. They were devastated when they were told neither woman was a suitable candidate for harvesting eggs. They lived in Tacoma and agreed to Arizona's conditions right away and so both eggs were implanted into the woman that was the best candidate to carry. They had emailed Arizona a month after and informed her that one of the implantation's was successful and they were expecting a child in 9 months. They couldn't express the level of gratitude and thanks they had for Arizona and had agreed to keep her informed throughout the pregnancy and would then adhere to Arizona's stipulations.

Now, she was headed to Callie's lab and hoping to have a chance to speak with her. She had just knocked and was waiting on a reply.

"Come in," she heard Callie call out. She entered the room to see her bent over a prosthetic with a screwdriver.

Callie looked up when she heard the door close and took a deep breath before placing the screwdriver down and turning her attention to her ex-wife.

"Hey, what's up?" Callie asked as Arizona approached her and leaned next to her workstation.

"I was wondering if you had time this afternoon to come over to the house so we could talk to Sofia about what she wants to do now that school is starting back this week," Arizona replied.

"Yeah, I have nothing scheduled for today so unless I get pulled into an emergency surgery I get off at 6," Callie answered.

"I should be out of here at 5 so that should work out," Arizona said before asking, "How are doing? We haven't really talked since that day of the housewarming."

"Honestly, I'm okay I think," Callie sighed. "Or I will be. I've been seeing the therapist and she's helped me a lot. I still have days that seeing you and Meredith kills me inside but I understand my feelings better now and I'm working on things I need to fix. I actually have a date this weekend so I'm good."

"That's good Callie," Arizona answered. "I really do want you to be happy."

"I know and I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to come talk to me alone."

"We need to be able to talk Callie because we have a child together that needs us both. I do think I should warn you though that I'm not sure she is ready to go back on a weekly rotation yet."

"I was afraid of that," sighed Callie. "I know I get to see her when I can but it's tough knowing she would rather stay with you guys."

"That's not it Callie," Arizona tried explaining. "She was away from me for a year and she is just excited to be back with me. Plus, she has a brother and sisters now and she's still adjusting to that too."

"I get it and when you guys add a baby I may never get her to want to come back home," Callie sadly replied.

"How is the house hunting coming along," questioned Arizona not wanting to really get into that discussion with her ex.

"I haven't really started looking," Callie answered truthfully. "I've been really into my Wounded Warrior project and working out my issues that I haven't done much of anything else."

"You need to take care of yourself Callie," Arizona stated before standing up and getting ready to head back out the door. "I'll see you later this afternoon, bye."

"Later," Callie replied before Arizona was out the door.

This was something that she had been worried about happening. She talked with her therapist about the possibility of Sofia wanting to spend this year with her Momma. She knew by their agreement that there wasn't much she could do about it if Sofia did but she was at least thankful that she got to see her so often. She expressed such regret in therapy about the way Arizona must have felt the year Sofia was in New York with her.

Therapy was helping her realize that she had came rushing back for Arizona because it was what she was familiar with even though it also helped her realize she did in fact love Arizona and probably always would since they shared Sofia. She just had to learn to move on and be satisfied with herself before committing to another relationship. The date this weekend was with a guy she had met while at the VA working with the Wounded Warriors director there. She wasn't expecting anything other than a nice night out and a start at the dating scene again.

Hopefully, things would go better than she was thinking later this afternoon.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Arizona heard the knock on the door and headed to let Callie in after noticing the time and figuring it was her. Meredith had gotten pulled into an emergency surgery right before they were scheduled to leave so she had taken all 4 kids home and started dinner for everyone as the kids played out back with Maggie or watched the chickens. They had just finished dinner and the kids were all getting washed up and ready for bed with Maggie helping.

"Come on in," Arizona said after she opened the door for her ex-wife. "Sofia is getting ready for bed with the others and Maggie is helping since Meredith got pulled into surgery. Do you want a glass of wine?"

Arizona had lead the other woman to the living room and motioned for her to take a seat.

"Yes, that would be great actually," Callie answered as she settled down in a comfy chair.

"Be right back," Arizona said before heading off and returning with a glass of wine for Callie and a bottled water for herself.

"You're not having one yourself," Callie asked as she noticed the bottle of water when Arizona passed her the glass.

"No, I stopped drinking when I started taking the shots," Arizona replied casually mentioning the process that would allow her a chance to become pregnant.

"Oh, I see," Callie replied as she processed the fact that Arizona had just nonchalantly mentioned her possibly being pregnant soon.

"We informed Maggie since Amelia knew and they help us with the kids, so we feel it only fair to let you know, since it will involve Sofia," Arizona explained. "I'm not pregnant yet, but I go for the implantation soon. I will be out for a few days on bed rest, as you know, so if you want to, you can see if Sofia wants to stay with you those days."

"I will help anyway I can Arizona," Callie replied as she looked over at her ex-wife who had settled onto the sofa across from her. "Actually, have you talked with Dave about your prosthetic and how it will be affected by the pregnancy?"

"I've mentioned it to him before but not recently. Why?" Arizona replied surprised that Callie was willing to talk about this.

"I have a few women patients in the Wounded Warrior project. One is 3 months pregnant and the other is trying and they have both asked me to look into how it will affect their prosthetic. Neither of them have the version with the implanted sensors but the first version I made that led to the one with the implants and works way better than anything available to private citizens. It has sensors built into the socket that responds to muscle movements that are transmitted to the prosthetic. It has a built in memory so I can download data and make adjustments as needed."

"That's amazing Callie," Arizona said shocked by this new information.

"I designed it with you in mind actually," Callie replied somewhat sadly. "It was a project I had started to try and help you with everyday things but then when we decided to have a baby I started taking it in a whole new direction. I wouldn't have even thought of some of the things that I have developed in these prosthetics if it wasn't for you. So, I mentioned to Dave that I have a prototype available for you to try if you ever came to him about needing something better."

"Callie, that's…" Arizona was interrupted by a squealing Sofia.

"Mami, you're here," the little girl said as she ran for her other mother who barely had time to place her glass on the coffee table before she had her arms full.

"Sofia, where are your brother and sisters?" Arizona questioned smiling at the scene before her. It always warmed her heart to see her daughter so happy. Looking at them now she could see how Sofia was still almost an exact copy of her Mami. It was uncanny sometimes how much she looked like Callie and the photos she had seen of Callie as a child had only confirmed this years ago.

"Ellis is asleep already 'cause me and Zola read her a bedtime story and Bailey is getting his story now from Aunt Maggie. Zola is in her room listening to her iPod for a little bit before our bedtime and I came to see if you would read the next chapter of Harry Potter to me but now that Mami is here can she do it?"

"Sure she can baby girl but first me and Mami need to talk to you about something," Arizona answered.

Sofia looked up at her Mami after hearing that and asked, "You're not wanting to move away again are you?"

"No mija," Callie answered softly before tightening her hold on her daughter. "I'm not ever going to try and take you away from your Momma again. Remember, I promised when I came back."

"Sofia, school starts next week and what we would like to know is if you are ready to go back to our previous schedule of one week with us and then one with your Mami," Arizona explained since she truly believed this should be a decision her daughter had a say in.

"But I thought that I was going to stay here for this school year since I stayed with Mami for the last one," Sofia asked looking over to Arizona for answers.

"You was baby girl when your Mami was going to be in New York but now that she's here we can go back to the old schedule if you want to," Arizona explained watching Sofia carefully to see that she was understanding what they were telling her.

"You can stay here if you want to Sof' because I know you missed your Momma while we were away and I will still see you all the time mija," Callie answered as she noticed that Sofia was looking torn on what to do.

"I don't want you sad Mami, if I say I want to stay," Sofia said softly while looking into her mother's eyes.

"Oh Sof', I won't be sad baby. I know that you missed your Momma bunches and that now you have a brother and sisters here too," Callie replied trying to convey to Sofia that she would be okay if she wanted to stay even if it was tearing her apart inside.

"Will I see you all the time still?" Sofia asked her Mami as she studied her face intensely.

Callie wandered what she was looking for but kept her emotions in check tightly so that her baby made the decision she wanted to make and not what she thought Callie wanted her to do.

"Of course," Callie answered honestly. "I will see you everyday and if you want to come stay with me for a few days or for however long you want that will be fine to. Momma and I will do whatever you want us to."

"Okay then, I would like to stay here and come and stay with you when I want to or when you want me to," Sofia answered before hugging Callie tightly. "I love you, Mami. Now, can you come read to me?"

"Sure mija," Callie replied after pulling out of the hug before pushing her daughter towards the hall. "Go get in bed and I'll be right in."

After she was headed down the hall to her room, Callie stood up and motioned towards where her daughter had disappeared. "I'll be out once she's asleep."

"I'll be here," Arizona answered before Callie went after their daughter.

Maggie came out right after Callie left, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, we just had the talk with Sofia about where she wanted to stay now that school is starting back up. She's not ready to start the every other week thing yet so she's going to continue staying here and visiting Callie when either of them feel the need," Arizona answered her sister-in-law.

"How did Callie seem when that's what Sofia decided?" Maggie questioned quietly while glancing down the hall towards the little girls room.

"She kinda expected it really so she was not surprised. Anyways, shouldn't you be headed back to Sam since I'm sure she's waiting in your house already," Arizona stated before getting up and heading towards the back door when Maggie headed that way.

"Yeah, she's not the most patient person but I love her anyways," laughed Maggie before going out the door but turned to say, "Make sure you lock that door since I won't be coming back tonight and if I need to get in I have the key. Goodnight Arizona."

"Goodnight Maggie," she replied before shutting and locking the door. She was just getting settled on the sofa again when the front door opened and her wife walked in.

"Hey, you," Meredith greeted as she kicked off her shoes and placed her coat away before depositing her keys into the bowel on the little table they had just for that. They both seemed to misplace their keys a lot before and so when they were designing the new house they made sure that they had this item of furniture in a place near their entryway.

"What are you still doing out here?" Meredith questioned as she settled down next to her wife after giving her a quick kiss.

"Callie is in with Sofia reading to her," Arizona replied as she snuggled into Meredith's side as she felt her wife wrap her arms around her. "We talked to her about what she wanted to do now that school is starting back and she wants to stay here as we suspected and visit Callie whenever they feel the need."

"Was Callie okay with that?" Meredith asked quietly as she looked down the hall where she knew her friend was reading to her daughter.

"She was prepared for that outcome and even though I could see in her eyes it was tearing her up she never let onto the fact with Sofia," Arizona answered before placing a soft kiss to the side of Meredith's neck. "How was your surgery?"

"It went good. No unexpected complications and so the patient should be just fine," Meredith replied as she traced her hand up and down Arizona's side.

They sat in silence after that until they heard Callie coming back down the hall and then they sat up side by side with their hands entwined.

"She's asleep," Callie said after stopping by the chair she had sat in before. "Hey, Mer' how did your emergency go?"

"It went good. No complications," Meredith answered. "Sit down and finish your wine Callie. There's no need to rush off."

"Okay," Callie said before retaking her seat and asking Arizona, "Did you tell her about the prototype yet?"

"Not yet, but you can probably explain it better," Arizona answered.

Callie then took the time to fill Meredith in on the project and the prosthetic that she had sat aside for Arizona if she wanted it. Meredith had to admit it sounded like an amazing opportunity for her wife even if she couldn't help but feel a little put out by the fact that Callie still seemed to be trying to look out for her wife. She knew it was just her jealousy but the fact that Arizona was Callie's muse still kinda irked her even if this would be beneficial for her wife. Of course, they would accept the offer if Arizona wanted to but it still managed to make her want to claim Arizona in front of her ex-wife but she managed to reign all that in.

"That's great Callie, after we talk it over we will let you know," Meredith replied since she wouldn't try to make this decision for her wife. "It sounds like a great opportunity and we have been meaning to set up an appointment with Dave to discuss what will need to be done for Arizona as her body changes."

"I already mentioned to him that I have a prototype set aside for her if she ever came to him needing something better so he shouldn't have a problem working with me on this if you two decide to go forward with it. Anyways, thanks for the wine but I need to head out since I have to be back at the hospital early in the morning for an 8 am surgery." Callie said as she headed for the door and stopping to grab her coat.

"Okay, thanks for coming so we could talk to Sof' together," Arizona said as she and Meredith headed over behind Callie.

"Don't be a stranger if you want to stop by and see her just let us know and the door will be open for you anytime," Meredith added as Callie stepped out their front door.

"Thanks, Meredith," Callie smiled a little before calling over her shoulder that she would see them tomorrow as she headed down the walkway to her car.

After Meredith and Arizona had shut and locked the door, Meredith picked up the empty wine glass and Arizona's almost empty water bottle to put away before shooing her wife off to their room to get a nice warm bath ready for them to share. They would talk while relaxing and Meredith knew that whatever was decided they would make those decisions together just like they always do.

* * *

It seemed time passed quickly once Sofia and Zola started school again. Bailey and Ellis missed them both in daycare but they followed the two older girls around once they all got home.

Arizona's procedure to implant the fertilized eggs was just over a month ago and she was waiting in her office for her wife to show up so they could head down to the appointment that would either confirm the implantation worked or that they needed to try again. She looked up with a huge smile when she called out for whoever knocked to come in hoping it was her wife.

"Hey you, ready to go?" Questioned Meredith after she walked into the office.

"Yes, I can't wait," Arizona said as she jumped up and headed over to Meredith and wrapped her arms around her waist and gave her a very soft but loving kiss.

"How are you feeling? Anymore queasiness since this morning?" Meredith asked worryingly.

"None, just like the past few days, it's first thing when I wake up and then sometimes when a certain smell is really strong but other than that I feel fine," replied Arizona as she laced her fingers with her wife's and locked her office door after them. "Now, let's go!"

"Okay, geez, you'd think you were excited or something," chuckled Meredith as she squeezed her hand gently.

They waited patiently in the room for the doctor to come back after she left to get the results of Arizona's blood test. Their eyes shot to the door at the knock before the doctor came back in wheeling a portable ultrasound machine.

"Well, from the blood results, it seems that you are indeed pregnant Arizona," Dr. Simms smiled as she prepped the machine.

Meredith kissed and hugged her before whispering how much she loved the blonde who had a megawatt magical smile on but pulled back when Dr. Simms said, "I'm going to step out so you can change into a gown so we can take a look. You know the drill. This will be a trans-vaginal ultrasound since it's a little too early to do a trans-abdominal."

Arizona started stripping off her scrubs as soon as the door closed. Meredith took an appreciative glance at her body before handing over the gown for Arizona to use. Once Arizona was ready on the table Meredith opened the door and let the doctor back in.

As the doctor was getting Arizona in the stirrups and getting the wand ready Meredith reached out and grabbed her wife's hand needing the contact.

"You may feel some discomfort from the wand Arizona but let me know if anything feels off okay," Dr. Simms said and Arizona just nodded a little uneasy with this part.

"What exactly are you looking for Dr. Simms since we're only a little over 4 weeks out we won't be able to hear a heartbeat yet?" Meredith asked because she knew that on Arizona's last pregnancy she never heard a heartbeat.

"I just want to see that the embryo attached to the uterine lining nicely and should be roughly 3mm long now. There's lots happening in there even if we can't see it but we can make sure things look good and schedule a followup visit for your 8th week and check again," Dr. Simms explained as she squirted the gel onto the wand and inserted the wand so that she could get a good look.

As the doctor watched the screen and moved the wand around, Arizona squeezed her wife's hand and looked up at her with glassy eyes. She was determined not to cry. This would be different and everything would be okay. She had faith that things would go as planned and her and Meredith would be adding a healthy baby to their family soon. Meredith squeezed back and bent over to place a kiss on her lips lightly before turning her attention back to the doctor who was looking at the screen intensely.

Dr. Simms had learned when your patient was a fellow doctor it was better to avoid letting them see the screen until you were ready. This was especially true for Arizona since she was a Peds and a Fetal surgeon so from where she was seated neither woman could see what she was looking at and she hoped this news was taken well.

"Arizona everything looks good. The embryos attached well and are in the expected size range," Dr. Simms said as she clicked a button that would allow the machine to print out a few pictures but still not turning the screen around.

"Embryos? As in both of them implanted?" Arizona said with wide eyes as she glanced up at a smiling Meredith.

"Yes, both. You are now pregnant with twins. Congratulations," Dr. Simms said before turning the monitor and pointing out both embryos for the mothers to be.

"Wow, look at that. Isn't it amazing," Meredith gushed as she looked at the screen and then down at her wife who had tears running down her face now. "Are you okay? Is this not something you thought might happen?"

"I'm more than okay. Look at what we did," Arizona said as she wiped the tears from her face on the side that Meredith hadn't. "I knew it was a possibility that both would take but I thought with my age that we were really just doubling our chances at a successful single pregnancy. Are you okay with twins? That will give us 6 children. Oh my god, we'll have newborn twins and Ellis is 2 going on 3, Bailey is turning 4 soon, and Zola and Sofia will be 6 by then. Plus, we'll need to get the contractor out to see about adding on two new rooms since I don't want any of them to share or have to give up the playroom."

"I think there's time for that to be discussed later," Meredith smiled at her wife. "Now, we just need to focus on you and the little ones and what this will mean for you as far as your pregnancy goes."

"You're right," Arizona said as she took a deep breath. "I just got a little overwhelmed a moment. Now, Dr. Simms anything we need to discuss since I'm carrying twins."

"Arizona you are a damn fine doctor and know what to do but I suggest you talk to Dave about your prosthesis sooner rather than later now that you are carrying around two extra little humans," Dr. Simms said as she was removing the wand. After she had finished moving the machine away she handed the two women the pictures she had printed and smiled as they got lost in the sight of their unborn. "As far as everything else, we'll stay with the plan we have and discuss things as we go. Now, I want you back here at 8 weeks for another ultrasound but if anything changes with you or if you have any worrying symptoms come back immediately okay."

After that Dr. Simms left so that Arizona and Meredith had a moment alone so the other woman could get dressed.

"I love you and I couldn't be happier," Meredith said as she pulled Arizona in for a hug after the woman was dressed.

"Meredith, you have no idea how happy you make me or how much I love you but I will spend the rest of our lives together showing you," Arizona said before kissing her passionately. They got a little carried away as hands began to roam until Meredith pulled back and said, "Okay, let's get out of here, grab the kids, go home, get them settled for the evening and then when they are all asleep, we will celebrate. I don't want the good doctor to be the only one to have been between your legs today."

Arizona just smiled coquettishly at her wife as she led her out of that room off to retrieve their kids.

* * *

They had decided not to tell anyone about the pregnancy until after the 8 week check up which was today. It was hard to keep it quiet from Maggie and Amelia especially since she was starting to show but they managed. They pulled Dave aside after her first ultrasound and told him what was going on and he said that they could wait until after Arizona started telling people before they had to refit her for the prototype. This was good news since the prototype meant involving Callie and Arizona was still a little skeptical on how the brunette would handle the news of her pregnancy.

Arizona and Meredith had already contacted the architect who worked with them on the house and he had already drawn up blueprints for the two room addition. He mentioned that he designed the house with the idea of adding on to the area where the bedrooms were so it should be easy. He said the contractor could have it done in a few months so they decided they wouldn't start until Arizona was at least out of her first trimester just in case.

They had already arrived at Dr. Simms' office and Arizona was laid back on the table with her legs up in the stirrups as the good doctor probed around with her wand. They waited patiently until the doctor looked over and said, "Everything looks great. Your twins livers, kidneys, brains, and other organs are developing more each day, becoming more complex. There's a lot going on with their faces too. The cells that will eventually become their teeth have begun to develop, as well as the palates in their mouths. They also have raised areas on the sides of their heads, that will eventually become their ears. Tiny eyelids are starting to form, preparing to cover developing eyes. Their hearts have divided into left and right chambers and will soon have all four chambers and are already beating about 150 beats per minute. Would you like to hear?"

"Yes, please," both women said at once with huge smiles on their faces.

Arizona and Meredith listened as the most amazing sound filled their ears. They listened intently as for the first time they heard both of the babies' hearts beating. The doctor pressed a button and made a copy of the sound and the accompanying pictures that she would email both the women as a surprise. She was very glad that things were going so well since she was Arizona's doctor before when the woman never got to experience this sound. She let them listen for a few more minutes before turning everything off and leaving them alone so that Arizona could get dressed.

After they left the doctor's office, they headed down to see Dave and let him know that they would need to go ahead and have the fitting since Arizona was starting to show. Twins apparently gave you an obviously pregnant belly sooner. Meredith couldn't keep her hands off of her wife's belly bump either. She had taken to laying with her palm pressed against her tummy whenever they cuddled or really anytime Meredith could manage to get her hands under her wife's top.

Next stop was Amelia's office where they had paged Maggie to meet them as well.

"What's up?" Amelia asked as Maggie and her looked up from Maggie's phone where they had been looking at a picture that she had taken of the kids chasing the chickens out back.

"If you need a babysitter, we're sorry but we have tickets this weekend to a concert that Abby and Sam have been dying to go to. We're just hoping none of us get called in," Maggie said as she glanced up at them.

She noticed that Meredith seemed a little more touchy feely with Arizona the past few weeks. Well, she had caught her more than once with her hands up Arizona's shirt anyways but now she noticed that Meredith had her hand almost protectively pressed against Arizona's stomach as she had her arm wrapped around her waist pulling her into her side.

"Oh my God! You're pregnant!" Maggie exclaimed.

"Really?" Amelia questioned with a smile on her face as she noticed the beaming smile on her sister's face. Arizona had her full-on magical dimpled smile popping.

"Yeah, really. Don't act so surprised Amelia since your eavesdropping gave away the fact we were trying," Meredith said knowing it would call her out on knowing to Maggie.

"What?! You knew and didn't tell me," Maggie exclaimed looking at her sister indignantly.

"I overheard and was sworn to secrecy," Amelia replied before looking at Arizona and asking, "How far along are you?"

"8 weeks today," Arizona smiled as she saw the curious look on Maggie's face at her answer.

"Um, are you sure? Because you seem a little farther along now that I actually look at you," Maggie asked as she studied the bump that her sister was cradling now since she had moved around to hold her wife from behind causing Arizona's scrub top to pull tight over her tummy.

"Maggie, I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to point that out," Amelia said as she shook her head at her sister.

"I'm right on track according to Dr. Simms. Apparently twins make you pop sooner," Arizona answered with a smile and shrug of her shoulders as she could barely contain her laugh at the looks that crossed the other women's faces.

"Twins!" They exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yes, twins," Meredith chuckled as she kissed Arizona on the cheek. "We just found out earlier and since people will start noticing soon we wanted to tell you two first that you are going to be aunts again."

"We are headed to Bailey's office soon so she can call a board meeting for later this week to inform the hospital formally. We'll need to prepare for my absence since twins will probably come early and make my maternity leave begin earlier too," Arizona said as she placed her hands over her wife's that were still on her tummy. "First, we need to head over and see Callie in her lab. I will need to have the fitting for the new prototype soon so we'll need her to help Dave with it so she has to be told as well."

"Yeah, good luck with that one," Amelia said. "I think it will be okay though. I mean isn't she still dating that guy she met over at the VA?"

"She is," Meredith answered, "but I don't think she'll be too surprised and if she is, oh well that's her problem not ours. I'm tired of her woo-is-me attitude. We're happy, the kids are happy, and that's all that matters to us."

"Come on," Arizona said as she turned and pulled her wife towards the door. "Let's go. I want to get this all over with and go home and celebrate with my wife. Bye guys."

They headed out after that to look for Callie. Arizona intended this to be the last courtesy talk she had with her ex-wife. She had been understanding enough and was tired of the way Callie still looked at Meredith sometimes. Arizona was over being the overly forgiving ex-wife, when Callie still sulked around like Meredith had taken her favorite toy and broken it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: M rated language in this one folks.**

Chapter 15

Arizona pulled Meredith to a stop right before the door to Callie's lab and said, "No matter what her reaction is, you know that it doesn't affect us right? I mean we are so very happy and I love you beyond reason Meredith. So please, remember that."

After placing a loving kiss on her wife's lips Meredith responded, "I know we are good no matter what she says. I just want to get this over and go let Bailey know so we can start planning for our little ones to arrive. I can't wait to tell the kids. Now, let's get this over with."

Arizona kissed her wife once more before heading to the door and knocking. She gave the hand she was holding a comforting squeeze as they waited. A few minutes passed and they had to knock again. Just as they were about to leave figuring she wasn't in the lab they heard Callie say, "Come in."

As they stepped into the lab, they noticed a guy standing off to the side straightening out his shirt. They shared a glance with one another and knew that this must be the guy that Callie has been seeing. Meredith tugged Arizona a little further into the lab noticing the flush look Callie was sporting and couldn't help but smirk over at her.

"Hey, if this is a bad time we can come back?" Meredith said as she looked from Callie over to the guy again who she noticed was looking at her and Arizona's joined hands a little too oddly for her.

"No, it's okay Will just stopped in since he was at the hospital visiting his buddy. What's up?" Callie asked as she stepped closer to the couple not noticing the look they was receiving.

"Arizona and I needed to…" was as far as Meredith got before the guy interrupted.

"Arizona?" he asked as he looked pissed all of a sudden before stepping over to Callie and grabbing her arm to spin her around to face him. "As in your ex Arizona?! What the fuck Callie?! You never said anything about being with a damn dyke!"

Callie pulled back and practically growled her reply, "Watch what you call her or me for that matter! You knew I was divorced from Arizona and we have a child together!"

"Yes, so I assumed that Arizona was a fucking man since you had a kid with this person like any sane normal person would! You never once said that Arizona was a damn woman! How the hell could you not tell me this for Christ's sake! I can't believe you would stoop so low as to be with a woman but the fact that you married that dyke bitch is unforgivable and a fucking sin." Will yelled as he got up closer to her again.

Meredith had maneuvered Arizona back towards the door when the asshole had grabbed Callie and spun her around. She pushed Arizona towards the door and quietly told her to go alert security right away. She needed to get Arizona out of this room and harms way but couldn't leave Callie alone with him either. So after Arizona cleared the door, Meredith had crept a little closer to her once best friend and watched until she heard his last comment.

"That dyke bitch is my wife you homophobic asshole so I would suggest you shut your freaking mouth about her," Meredith growled out as she stepped up to Callie's side. "You need to leave now and not step fucking foot back in this hospital again."

"You can't throw me out and last I checked I was not talking to you bitch," Will said as he took another step closer to the two women.

"Will I think you should go now," Callie said as she stepped in front of Meredith to draw his attention off her. "I don't think we'll be seeing each other again after this since, apparently, you're a dick and I was just too blind to see that before now."

"No Callie, I'm not going anywhere and you aren't some damn dyke since you've slept with me and I'm definitely all man so what the fuck did that cunt do to you to get you to marry her," Will said as he went to reach for Callie again but she stepped back out of the way once more and pulled Meredith with her.

Callie knew he suffered from PTSD and that sometimes that affected a person's reasoning while making them agitated easily, causes outbursts of anger, have irritability issues, have trust issues, and can make them violent when angry among a list of other symptoms.

This was the main reason she had only been casually dating him and not getting serious since she wasn't sure he would be a safe person to have around her daughter. Apparently, that was the right call seeing as he seemed a little nuts now and also a homophobic ass too. She needed to get him out of here before things got worse.

"Will, just go and don't contact me again," Callie said as she kept herself in front of Meredith as best she could. "That woman is a person I love and I won't stand here and let you talk about the mother of my child like that either."

"You are nothing but a dyke bitch just like that blonde slut that just left," Will yelled as he stepped closer and grabbed Callie by both arms and pulled her against his chest. "You just need me to show you what it's supposed to be like between a man and a woman. Not some cunt bitch that runs at the first sign of a real man."

Meredith had seen and heard enough from this asshole. She prayed he would just leave but when he grabbed Callie again she knew that wasn't happening and was just relieved that her pregnant wife had left the room. She looked around and noticed that Callie had been working on a prosthetic leg and had a screwdriver and what looked like the main shaft of the leg on the table. She grabbed both and stepped up behind a struggling Callie.

"Fucking let me go you asshole," Callie was yelling at him now and Meredith was wondering what the hell was taking security so long to get there.

"No, you are coming with me so I can erase that fucking dyke's touch from your memory," he growled as he tried to spin her around but was caught off guard when Callie kneed him in the junk and jerked back out of his grasp. Unfortunately, this just pissed him off more as he lunged for her again and screamed, "you fucking cunt!"

He managed to grab her around the waist but had forgotten about Meredith who took her chance and swung the shaft from the prosthetic and hit him across the shoulders hard enough that she lost the grip on the shaft but not the screwdriver. He released Callie with a shove but spun around and lunged for Meredith who instinctively threw up her hands to brace for the impact. Callie had fell back and hit the edge of the table. She was dazed from the impact and bleeding from the gash on her head.

He tackled Meredith taken them both to the ground where he released a painful cry and then sat up and noticed that the screwdriver had impaled him right below his left clavicle close to his shoulder. He sat straddling Meredith who was struggling to get out from under him as he pulled the screwdriver out with a hiss.

"You goddamn fucking dyke," he growled as he slapped her across the face as hard as he could splitting her lip open while he held the bloody screwdriver in the other hand. He was pulling back to hit her again when the door burst open and he looked up to see that blonde bitch was back.

"Get the hell off her you bastard," Arizona said as she stepped into the room more but leaving the door open.

She had raced to the closest nurses station and had them call security. She stayed until she could hear screaming coming from the room and couldn't stand not knowing what was happening. She knew security was coming so she took off back to her wife and told the nurses to send the guards as soon as they saw them.

"What the fuck did you do to Callie to make her marry you dyke," he yelled as he jumped up off Meredith and started advancing toward Arizona.

Arizona could hear approaching footsteps and hoped it was the guards. She saw Callie a little dazed bleeding from a head wound and Meredith was getting to her feet again. She knew she needed to get him away from them both so she looked at him and smiled before speaking.

"I fucked her better than anyone ever has or could you bastard, including you. You are nothing but a sorry excuse of a man who wouldn't know how to get a woman off anywhere close to how I can," Arizona taunted him as she backed into the doorway more.

"Fucking bitch," he screamed as he lunged for her.

Arizona turned and ran from the room with him right behind her. She was relieved to see the guards standing with weapons drawn about 15 feet in front of her screaming 'freeze'. She just ran straight for them but was startled when she felt him grab her by the back of her scrub top causing her to stumble and fall. She managed to twist at the last minute and land on her side and not face-plant onto her stomach but she knew her prosthetic had popped off the socket.

Meredith had ran after them and seen him grab Arizona and her go down right before the guards forced him down and cuffed him at gunpoint.

"Arizona!" she screamed as she raced to her wife's side before falling to her knees beside her and pulling her head onto her lap. "Are you okay? The babies?"

"I managed to fall on my side and not my stomach but I think we need to go see Dr. Simms to be safe," Arizona answered as tears rolled down her face. She had been terrified that something would happen to Meredith and when she saw him atop her wife about to hit her she acted. She reached up and cupped Meredith's cheek careful around her split lip.

Meredith looked around and saw that the asshole was restrained even though he was still fighting the guards and a few nurses had helped Callie out of the lab and was leading her over to them while pressing gauze on her wound but she was more worried about her wife so she spotted a pair of interns looking at the scene, "Go get a backboard and a gurney now!"

She turned her attention back to her wife as she felt her trying to sit up, "No Arizona, please baby just stay down until they get back and we can get you up with the board and onto the gurney then page Dr. Simms down to the pit."

"Arizona?" Callie asked she knelt besides them. "Are you okay? Is it your leg?"

"That asshole chased after her and grabbed her top causing her to fall," Meredith answered as she looked over at Callie and could see the worry in her eyes before turning her attention back to her wife. "Is there anything bothering you? Is your leg okay?"

"My side is really sore and my prosthetic has popped off the socket but other than that I feel okay," Arizona answered as she glanced at Callie before turning her attention back to Meredith.

Callie reached over and offered her hand to help her sit up but Meredith shook her head no and kept a firm hold on her wife. "We are waiting on a gurney to get her to the pit Callie."

"Why? If her prosthetic just popped off, we can just stand her up and fix that quickly and then head down to the pit to check her over," Callie asked a little harshly wondering why Meredith refused to let her help Arizona up as she removed the gauze from her head to see how bad the bleeding was now that she wasn't as dazed.

"Because I'd feel better if my wife, who is 8 weeks pregnant with twins, isn't up walking around until Dr. Simms says they are all okay," Meredith answered as she glared at Callie.

Callie just looked from Meredith down to Arizona with tears threatening to spill, "You're pregnant with twins?"

"Yeah, that's what we were doing at your lab. We were on our way to tell you so I could see about the new prototype," Arizona answered as she noticed the gash on Callie's head was steadily bleeding. "Put that gauze back on that cut and hold pressure on it. You need to head to the pit too and have that checked out."

The interns came around the corner then with the board and gurney. Meredith helped them get Arizona loaded up and told a nurse to page Dr. Simms to the pit with a 911. She walked alongside her wife and Callie followed behind them.

* * *

"Let's take a look shall we," Dr. Simms said as she maneuvered the wand.

Arizona and Meredith were quiet while the doctor looked at the screen. They just held onto the other tightly as they waited to hear any news. The minutes ticked by and they was growing increasingly nervous the longer it took. Then they heard the sound that they was hoping to hear. The steady rhythm of two strong heartbeats.

Relief washed over them as they both had tears streaming down their faces now.

"Oh my god," Arizona whispered before looking to the doctor. "Is everything really okay?"

"Yes, they seem to be just fine but I want you to stay on bed rest as a precaution for a few days to be sure they stay that way," Dr. Simms said as she removed the wand and went about putting away the probe. "Come back in a few days and we'll take a look to be sure we're all good but I honestly think everything is just fine since you managed to land on you side and not your stomach."

"Thank you," Meredith said before she turned to her wife. "I love you so much and I'm so thankful that our babies are okay."

She leaned down and kissed her wife but winced, pulled back, and grimaced at the sting she felt in her lip.

"Baby, please go get that cleaned and looked at," Arizona pleaded as she saw her wife wince after kissing her. "I won't move from this spot until you get back as long as you help me put my clothes back on before you go."

"Okay, let's get you dressed and I'll go get this looked at, call and clear our schedules for the next few days, and then come back with a chair to get you out of here," Meredith said as she moved to grab Arizona's clothes.

* * *

After Meredith helped her dress and get situated in the bed, she left to go get her lip looked at. She didn't think she would need stitches but she knew she needed to get it checked and cleaned. She walked over and grabbed April to get her to check her out. She explained what happened and asked her to page her sisters for her.

"Oh my god! What happened," Maggie asked as she and Amelia walked into the room. April had cleaned and patched up her lip with some glue but the bruising was already starting to show.

"Callie's crazy ass guy happened," Meredith huffed. "We was headed there to tell her about the twins when we accidentally interrupted them. He didn't know Arizona was a woman apparently and is a raging homophobic dick. He didn't take it too well and ended up chasing then grabbing Arizona and causing her to fall before he was taken out by the security guards in cuffs at gunpoint."

"Is she okay? The babies?" questioned Amelia worriedly.

"She's on bed rest for a few days as a precaution but the babies sounded strong and looked well," Meredith answered wincing as her lip stung. "I need to clear our schedules and then get her home but I was wondering if you guys can help us get the kids home today."

"Of course," Maggie said instantly. "I have an easy afternoon so I will bring them home."

"When I get off, I'll come over with Abby and help get them all settled for the night too," Amelia answered. "Then we can plan for the next few days. Do you need anything else?"

"Can you go check with Bailey and make sure that charges are pressed and he's barred from the hospital. Oh and tell her about the twins too since she was our next stop," Meredith asked as she stood up. "I have to go clear my schedule and Arizona's but if she needs to talk to us tell her to call or come by tomorrow. I just want to get my wife home and put this day behind us."

"Of course, I'll head there now and then see you later," Amelia said as she walked out the room.

"I'll see you later," Maggie said as she stepped up to her sister and examined her bruising before hugging her quickly. "I will get the kids and get them home. You just go and take care of Arizona."

With that both women headed out the room to get their tasks completed so they could get out of the hospital.

* * *

Arizona tried to get comfortable after Meredith left but her hip and thigh was extremely sore. She pulled up her pants leg and noticed how swollen her residual limb was and began to rub it to try and relieve some of the pain. She looked up at the sound of the door and was a little shocked to see it was Callie and not Meredith.

"Hey," Callie said softly as she stepped into the room and let the door close noticing Arizona was rubbing on her thigh. "Let me look at that for you."

"No, it's fine Callie."

"Arizona, I can see that it's swollen from here. You fell on it earlier and popped your socket loose. Let me check it for you please," Callie asked as she approached Arizona's bed.

"Fine, but only because I know that I should have it looked at anyway," Arizona sighed as she pulled the pants leg back up and let Callie examine it for her.

Callie stepped up and tentatively placed her hands on Arizona's residual limb and began examining it. She carefully checked what she could without scans before she pulled back and looked up at Arizona. She felt her pulse pounding as she realized that was the first time she had her hands on Arizona in years and it still made her heart race.

"You need to ice it soon and you won't be able to put your socket on for a few days so that means you'll be on crutches but I think after the swelling goes away you'll just be bruised," Callie said as she stayed in place beside Arizona.

"Well, I'm on doctor's orders for bed rest for a few days anyway so it's no problem," Arizona replied as she pulled her pants leg back down feeling a little uncomfortable with Callie so close.

"Are you okay? The twins?" questioned Callie still not really believing that this was her reality right now.

"Dr. Simms said that everything looked and sounded fine but wants me to be on bed rest for a few days just as a precaution. What about your head?"

"Owen sent me for a scan and cleared me after my cut was glued up. It wasn't that deep but you know head wounds bleed freely."

"Yeah, Meredith is getting her lip looked at and then clearing our schedules before we get out of here. I'm sure she'll get Maggie and Amelia to help with the kids." Arizona said as she shifted back some. "Sit down Callie, if you're going to stay. You're making me nervous just standing there."

Callie gave Arizona a little smirk and said, "Are you nervous or is your heart racing like mine is?"

"No Callie, it's not. Not like you are thinking. I'm worried about my wife and my unborn children and you standing here over me after your boyfriend pushed you down, hit my wife, and chased me down before knocking me over is unnerving me a little."

Callie stepped back and sat in the chair besides the bed. "I'm sorry Arizona. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable but sometimes I can't reign in my feelings for you. I'm sorry about Will. I've only been casually seeing him and we never got into anything serious, apparently. He was mostly a way for me to forget about things between us."

"Callie, there is no us anymore. You left me devastated sitting in that therapist's office over 3 years ago after you made love to me the night before leading me to believe everything would be okay. Then you moved on and dated. You dated Penny for almost 2 years. You said she made you happier than you had ever been and that hurt to see and hear, let me tell you. Then you fight me in court to take my daughter away and let your lawyer trash me and claim that I wasn't really a parent since I wasn't her birth mother. Even though I won, I still couldn't bare to see you so sad so I let you take her to New York to live with you and your girlfriend. I finally let you go and found love again. An amazing love that I wasn't looking for but I have it and I'm not letting go of it either. We have 4 wonderful kids and twins on the way and I am ecstatic with my life and especially with my wife. I'm sorry you are having such a hard time with this but honestly, it's your problem and I'm over worrying about how you feel over things that you claimed to be over 3 years ago. I think you should leave now."

Callie stood up and looked at Arizona with tears in her eyes and a resigned look on her face, "I'm truly sorry for everything Arizona. I don't think I'll ever be able to stop loving you but I will continue trying to let you go."

With that Callie walked out the room leaving an aggravated Arizona alone to wait on her wife.

* * *

"Callie?" Callie turned around when she heard Meredith call out her name as she was walking down the hall away from Arizona's room. "Did you just leave Arizona's room? Is she okay?"

Callie looked up at Meredith and waited on her to stop beside her, "Yeah, she's apparently amazingly ecstatic with her life and her wonderful wife. I hope you know what you have and know that if you ever screw up that I will be waiting in the wings for her."

"You'll be waiting forever then because I know exactly what I have in her. I don't know what the hell your problem is right now but I think you need to stop and take a long look at the decisions that you made to put you in the freaking place you are in right now. You walked away from her. You gave up on her. You moved on from her. She waited on you and you didn't give a damn until your life with your girlfriend fell apart. While she was waiting on you to get your shit together we found something amazing with the other and I know what I have and let me tell you this... I will never walk away from her or make her feel like she's not enough for me or that she's something I need to fix. So the best thing you can do is back the fuck off for awhile and get your shit together. I mean, my God Callie, you was dating a fucking homophobic abusive prick while you're a bi-sexual woman divorced from a woman who is the mother of your child. So I'm over your woe-is-me bullshit about your supposed love for my wife!"

After that Meredith turned around and headed back toward Arizona's room, leaving a stunned Callie standing in the hall.

Callie just couldn't understand what the hell she had done to end up in this position. Her ex-wife was pregnant with twins, married to her once best friend, had adopted 3 more children, and built a dream house for them all to live in that her own daughter seemed to prefer. Her career was as successful as her personal life too.

While Callie, was back to being an Attending in her own hospital, single, previously dating a psycho, and had hurt her own daughter so much over the past year she was happy living with her Momma most of the time and just visiting her Mami. Whatever the hell was the problem she needed to figure it out before she loses everyone and everything she cared about.

* * *

 **Author's note: Okay folks, one more chapter and we're done!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Arizona was having a rough night. She just couldn't seem to find a comfortable position to sleep in now that she was 8 months pregnant and it didn't help that her wife was not home yet even though it was nearing midnight. There had been an accident involving a small plane that crashed onto a busy section of interstate that had sent the hospital some major traumas early this morning. She was a little worried about flashbacks for her wife but knew that with Meredith's focus solely on saving her patients that if they come it will be when she has some time to relax after this was over.

Arizona rolled a little towards the nightstand to check the time when she noticed the picture of her and Meredith with the kids that was taken the day they told them about the twins. She couldn't help but remember that morning as she saw the picture in the dimly lit room.

 _Meredith had insisted on putting Arizona straight in bed as soon as they arrived home after the incident with Callie's boyfriend. She wouldn't stop mumbling every few minutes about how unbelievably stupid Callie had been to see that idiot. It wasn't long after Meredith had Arizona settled that Maggie and Amelia arrived with the kids. They were told that their Momma had an accident and needed to rest for a few days. They had been really sweet and had helped each other as much as they could before bedtime._

 _The next morning Arizona woke up to Bailey crawling into bed with her and Meredith. He often did this when he had bad dreams which usually followed one of them being injured or even just the mention of an accident. Meredith had taken her kids to a therapist after Derek's death and knew this was something that would occur occasionally with Bailey or Zola since they remembered the events surrounding that day._

 _He crawled up in front of Arizona since Meredith was spooning her from behind with her hand resting just below her baby bump. Even in her sleep, Meredith had taken to holding her stomach almost protectively. So she just wrapped her arms around him, pulled him closer to her, and kissed his forehead before asking, "Are you okay sweetie?"_

" _I had a bad dream. Can I lay with you and Mommy?" he sniffled a little and scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her neck._

" _Of course sweetie," Arizona said softly while she shifted back some to allow her bump a little room since he was a tight little snuggler but it was no use as he just moved closer to her until he was pressed upside her baby bump._

 _The movement had woken Meredith but she just remained quiet hoping he would drift back off since it was still early. However, his next words had her biting her lip to not bust out laughing or reprimanding the little one when she felt her wife stiffen in her arms and assumed it was because he had hurt her feelings but kept quiet as Arizona relaxed and answered Bailey._

" _Momma Zona, you need to stop eating all the donuts cause you are getting round. I heard Aunt Amy tell Aunt Maggie that Abby better be glad that what she eats the most of at their house isn't as fattening as donuts or she would be round as the house. Maybe you need to eat what Abby does so you won't get any rounder."_

" _Oh sweetie, never listen to Aunt Amelia again," Arizona chuckled. "Why don't you go wake up your older sisters and tell them to come here so Mommy and I can talk to you 3 about something special?"_

 _After he agreed and climbed down, Arizona rolled over and kissed her wife, "I know you are awake so why don't you help me sit up so we can tell the kids about the babies before they all accuse me of getting fat off donuts."_

" _I swear, Amelia needs to learn that they have little ears and hear everything," Meredith said as she helped Arizona get situated beside her in bed as they propped up against the headboard to wait on the older kids. They would get Ellis up afterwards unless she woke before they finished._

 _After they had all came into the room and settled around the bed, Meredith started after she smiled over at her wife, "Now, what we want to tell you is very important and we will explain it as best as we can to you if you have questions okay."_

 _She waited on them to agree before she reached over and laced her fingers with her wife's, who was absently smoothing her hand down her belly emphasizing her growing bump, before continuing. "You will notice a lot of changes with your Momma soon and that's because she has two babies growing in her right now that will be here in about 7 more months."_

" _You're having two babies Momma?" questioned Sofia with wide eyes as she stared at her Momma's stomach._

" _Yes, Sof' I am," Arizona smiled as she motioned her daughter forward and encouraged her to place her hand on her stomach. "We decided to have another sister or brother for you guys and we got a surprise too when we found out that we are getting two babies."_

 _Zola and Bailey inched closer to Sofia and Arizona encouraged them to put a hand on her belly too. Zola looked up and asked her Mommy, "How did they get in there without a daddy? Aunt Amy said she was glad that Abby was a girl not a boy and couldn't get her pregnant on accident since she wasn't ready to be a Mommy yet."_

 _Meredith looked at her wife and said, "Remind me to have a serious talk with Aunt Amy soon," before turning to Zola and the kids to answer. "You can have a baby or in our case babies with the help from a doctor without a daddy."_

 _Arizona continued, "You can have a family in a lot of different forms. You can have a mom and a dad, you can have two moms, you can have two dads, you can have only a mom or a dad, or you can even have no mom or dad and only have an aunt, uncle, or grandparent. The main thing to remember about family is that they always love you and care for you no matter what you do or who you love. We will always love you guys and be here for you no matter what."_

" _So the babies are making you round and not the donuts?" Bailey asked as he moved his hand around on her belly some._

" _Yes, buddy they are and I will get a lot rounder before they get here to meet you and your sisters," Arizona answered._

" _Are they girls or boys?" asked Sofia as she looked up at her Momma._

" _We don't know yet baby girl but there could be one of each in there too," Arizona answered. "Anymore questions?"_

" _How do they get out of there?" questioned Bailey as he studied her belly intensely._

" _When they are big enough they will let us know and then we will go the hospital and the doctors will get them out for us," Meredith replied not yet ready to go into the process of birth with her kids. She had just finished when they heard Ellis and she left to go get her baby girl. When she came back in and settled down in the bed with the others, the kids continued to talk about the babies and what they each wanted them to be and what they would do with them when they arrived._

 _Sometime during the questions, Maggie had stood in the doorway and noticed the family moment and snapped a picture of the excited family that Meredith would later frame and place by their bed._

Arizona noticed that her lower back pain was getting worse now. She had felt some Braxton Hicks, or false labor pains, early in the week and had assumed earlier that this was just another episode of the same but now she was starting to wonder if this was actually labor pains. She sat up and turned on her lamp before grabbing her crutches to use the restroom since it felt like she always had to pee. Unfortunately, she had only made it into their bathroom when her water broke.

She wanted to panic since she was home alone with 4 kids but knew that would not help any of them. She managed to clean herself up and get back to her phone before a strong contraction hit. She dialed her mom and prayed that she would answer.

* * *

Meredith was dead on her feet when she finished her last surgery close to 2 am and was scrubbing out when she heard the door opening to the scrub room. She looked up and noticed that it was Maggie and she was looking a little nervous.

"What is it? Did something happen with one of your patients?" she questioned her sister.

"Ugh, no but I was waiting on you to scrub out," Maggie said nervously. "Arizona is here and she is in labor but since it's still early in she wanted us to wait to tell you until you were out of surgery."

"Why didn't you just come get me anyways? My wife is in labor with twins for God's sake, I am sure that someone could have tagged me out of there. Let's go!" Meredith said as she finished scrubbing and rushed off towards labor and delivery.

"How did she get here? Who is with her? Where are the kids at?" she asked her sister as they jogged down the hall towards the stairwell.

"She called her mom to bring her and Barbara is still with her. Daniel is staying with the kids until morning when he will call the Nanny in early. I think you guys need to go ahead and get her to move into the apartment over the garage now. I mean with 6 kids, 2 of which are going to be newborns, you're gonna need her close." Maggie answered as she jogged by her sister up the stairs who seemed to forget this hospital has elevators. "She's in the birthing suite right now but we have OR 2 prepped and ready to go in case anything happens. Karev is here and so is Dr. Simms. At her last check she was only 7 cm dilated so she was still in the first stage."

"Okay, that's good," Meredith said as she made it up to the right floor and exited the stairwell onto the labor and delivery hall as she slowed to a walk to catch her breath. "Who is here?"

"Barbara is the only one in the room with her but Amelia, Sam, and Abby are waiting right outside. Karev went in and saw her for a minute but he left to prep an OR just in case. Chief Bailey stopped by and barked at all the nurses and interns before seeing her for a minute before she left to get some sleep in her office. Webber did basically the same thing. Kepner is in surgery with Callie still but Hunt went in and let April know to check in with him before she left so he could let her know about Arizona. Jackson called to check on her too."

"Thanks, Maggie," Meredith said before she continued, "sorry I snapped at you at first. I never liked this aspect of our birthing plan. I mean I know we agreed on what to do if I was in surgery when this happened but I never imagined we would need to use it. I had hoped that I would be there from the beginning."

"I know Mer' but it went off without a hitch so let's get you in there," Maggie said as she paused outside the double doors that separated the private section of labor and delivery from the rest of the floor. It was rare they had VIP patients but it happened and this was the only place a part owner would be placed for a birth now. It offered private waiting rooms right outside the birthing suites.

As soon as they stepped into the waiting room, Meredith was pulled into a hug by the other 3 women waiting in there but was released as soon as they heard Arizona screaming, **"I don't care what she is doing just get her ass here now! Ugh, she freaking did this to me and she'll be lucky to ever get laid again if she doesn't get her ass here now!"**

"Well, I think that's your cue sister," laughed Amelia. "Good luck, she reached 10 cm a little while ago and is in stage 2 now so I'd hurry!"

Meredith looked at them all and took a deep breath before she entered the delivery room with her wife.

"I can't believe they waited to see what they are having until now," Sam said as she pulled Maggie down into the seat beside her. "When we do this, we are not waiting on a surprise."

Maggie just looked at her with huge eyes as she took in the fact that her girlfriend that had only been living with her for a few months was already talking about them having babies. Meanwhile, Amelia just laced her hand with her fiance's and smiled at her sister's mixed look of fear and adoration.

* * *

"Okay, Arizona, one more big push and baby number one will be here," Dr. Simms said.

"Come on baby, one more and we'll meet our son or daughter," Meredith coached as she sat behind her wife and helped her sit up to push.

"Easy for you to say," huffed Arizona, "it's my vagina that's being ripped in two. I hope you got a good look at it last time because you might never see it again."

"I love you and you don't mean that. Now push," Meredith coaxed while gripping her wife's hand firmly.

With one more loud scream and a painful push, a small crying sound filled the air.

"Congratulations, Mommy's it's a boy!" Dr. Simms said after she cleared his airways and passed him to a nurse who placed him on Arizona's bare chest for skin to skin contact for a few minutes while the doctor got her ready to deliver the next baby.

"He's beautiful Arizona," Meredith said as she wiped the tears that had fell down her cheeks as she watched her son and wife. "He's got a head full of light blonde hair already and bright blue eyes."

"He is and he will be loved beyond reason just like his siblings," Arizona said before the nurse stepped up and said she needed to take him now and get him cleaned up so that Arizona could deliver his brother or sister.

After another painful 30 minutes, Arizona was once again being handed her newborn son.

"Oh my god Meredith, he's got your dirty blonde color and his eyes are as blue as his brothers," Arizona cooed as she nuzzled his head a little as her wife gently ran her finger down his chubby cheek.

"We have twin sons," Meredith smiled as she continued to watch her wife and son while stealing glances at their other son in his bassinet now that he's clean. "That gives us 3 of each. Lord Help us," she chuckled as she kissed her wife's cheek once the the nurse took the baby to clean him up as well.

The next hour flew by as they helped Arizona through the final stage of delivery and cleaned her up and got her moved over to the regular bed. Everyone gathered in the waiting room was anxious to hear the news but the women were content to take this time to themselves. The boys were laying in bassinets side by side next to her and Meredith who had slipped into hold her wife for a few minutes while the boys rested after the stress of their birth.

"Well, what are we going to name them?" questioned Meredith as she held her wife as they peered over at their sons.

"How about Timothy Daniel Robbins-Grey after my brother and dad and Marcus Alexander Robbins-Grey in tribute to Mark and Lexie," questioned Arizona as she squeezed her wife's arm that was wrapped around her as they watched their sons sleep.

"I think they are perfect for our handsome little guys," Meredith smiled as she kissed her wife. "Now, I'm sure we have some excited people waiting to meet these guys. So are you ready to let them in?"

"Can you get my mom and dad if he's here yet first and then we will let the others in," answered Arizona as Meredith stood up and straightened out the sheet and gown covering her wife.

"Be right back," Meredith smiled before stepping out into the waiting room.

* * *

"Oh my god finally," Amelia said as soon as the door opened and her sister stepped in. "What did she have woman? We've been waiting forever!"

"Yeah, I thought we were going to have to bribe the nurses and Dr. Simms soon," Abby said as she stood beside her fiance.

"Barbara, Daniel, she is asking to see you first and then the rest of this lot can come in," Meredith said as she turned to Barbara and noticed that Daniel had made it sometime since she had entered the delivery room.

"Lead the way dear," Barbara said as she and Daniel stepped up to Meredith and gave her a hug before following her into their daughter's room hearing the others groan behind them about the suspense and unfairness of this situation.

Arizona smiled at them when they came in and watched her mom and dad head straight over to their newest grandchildren.

"We'd like to introduce you to Timothy Daniel Robbins-Grey and Marcus Alexander Robbins-Grey," Arizona said as Meredith stepped up to her side again.

"Oh my gosh, Arizona," Barbara exclaimed as she peered down at the boys with her husband right beside her. "They look just like you when you were born except Marcus is a darker blonde."

"They are handsome boys for sure," smiled the Colonel as he looked at his newest grandsons with pride. "I like the names too, darling. Strong names for strong boys."

"Thank you daddy," Arizona said. "You obviously understand where Timothy Daniel comes from but the Marcus Alexander is in tribute of Sofia's dad Mark and Meredith's sister Lexie who both died due to the plane crash."

After the proud grandparents had spent some time gazing down at the boys her mother said, "Arizona, we are going to get the kids and bring them back to meet their brothers now so the others can come in and meet these two finally."

"Okay, thanks mom,dad, for everything," Arizona said as her mom stepped up and hugged her daughter followed by her father who told her how proud he was of her and that they would be back soon.

After the proud grandparents left, Amelia, Maggie, Abby, and Sam all but ran into the room only to be met with Meredith standing in front of the bassinets with her arms crossed and a slight frown on her face bringing the rowdy crew to a stand still.

"Okay, I know you have all waited patiently but they are sleeping still and Arizona needs to rest some before they need to feed and the kids show up," Meredith started explaining. "So when I move you will step up and look at your nephew's quietly as to not disturb them right?"

"Nephew's," exclaimed Amelia. "I knew it. Pay up guys!"

"You bet on my children," Arizona asked. "Seriously Maggie? I expect this from Amelia, Abby, and Sam but you too?"

"Sorry Arizona but I was sure it was a boy and a girl, Abby agreed, while Sam bet it was two girls," Maggie explained as they all gazed at the new additions. "What did you name them?"

Meredith motioned toward the first bassinet and said, "Meet Timothy Daniel and his equally handsome brother Marcus Alexander," as she motioned to the other bassinet.

"I don't know how but Marcus has your hair color Mer'," Maggie chuckled.

"And little Timothy looks exactly like his Momma with his blonde hair and bright blues," Amelia added.

The women stayed for a few more minutes until they said they were going to catch a nap in their offices and would be back later. Meredith and Arizona got comfortable and dozed off a little too until Meredith heard one of them stirring and got up to check on her sons.

"Babe, Marcus is up," Meredith said as she gently picked up her son and brought him over to his Momma. "Do you want to see if he is ready to nurse now?"

"Will you help me?" Arizona asked as she unsnapped her gown and exposed her chest and noticed the look Meredith was giving her. "As much as I know you enjoy the view, hand me our son so we can feed him."

Meredith and Arizona marveled at their son as Meredith helped him latch on for the first time. Before long his brother was situated across from him as he nursed from her other breast. It was a wonderful experience and both women was extremely happy in that moment. It took both women to get the little ones feed simultaneously and burped before they were changed and placed back in their bassinets.

The couple looked up at the door as they heard a quiet knock. Meredith stepped over and opened the door for her in-laws to lead their other children in to meet their brothers. They gathered around the bassinets and watched the little ones sleep a few minutes until Sofia asked, "Momma, what are their names?"

Meredith stepped over and pointed out each boy and introduced them by name to their siblings. The kids watched for a few more minutes until they all drifted over and hugged their moms before their grandparents told them that they would have plenty of time to get to know their brothers as soon as they came home in a few days.

They spent a little longer visiting before Barbara and Daniel took the kids home so their mom's could rest properly.

* * *

The day had finally came and Meredith and Arizona was getting ready to leave the hospital with the boys when they heard a knock on the door. They had been discharged and was waiting on transport to show up to escort them out so assumed their ride was here.

"Come in," Meredith called out as she glanced over at the boys to make sure they were still sleeping soundly buckled snugly into their carriers resting on the floor in front of Arizona who was sitting beside her.

"Hey," Callie said tentatively as she stepped into the room surprising the pair since they hadn't really interacted with Callie since the day Arizona returned to work after the incident where Will attacked them. That was a bad day for sure but the day she came back will be one they won't forget easily either.

 _Arizona had a light day since it was her first day back after her fall. Meredith had been great and was increasingly protective of her too. She popped up to check on her all morning and made sure Arizona wasn't uncomfortable or overdoing it on her first day back. Meredith had been pulled into an emergency surgery earlier and had told Arizona that she would find her when she was done. Arizona had decided to head to the cafeteria and grab some lunch when she rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks._

 _Lauren Boswell was standing there with Jackson Avery. She was about to turn around and go another way when Jackson walked off head down studying a chart leaving Lauren to look up and notice her standing there. Arizona was debating on her chances of escape when Lauren headed right towards her._

" _Arizona? Can you please just hear me out?" Lauren said as she approached._

" _I have nothing to say to you," Arizona said as she turned around and started to walk off only to be pulled to a stop by Lauren's hand landing on her shoulder._

" _Please Arizona, at least hear me out," Lauren said after she turned around again. "I owe you an explanation and an apology for that night."_

" _You don't owe me anything. There is nothing that you can say that will change anything that happened. It is in my past and that is where it will always be. I made a terrible mistake and hurt people that I love and I will never forgive you or myself for that. Now, Dr. Boswell excuse me," Arizona said as she went to step past her only to have Lauren step into her way again._

" _I was selfish and hurting during that time. My partner of 5 years had just left me for one of my best friends and I spiraled out of control. I didn't like seeing anyone happy and didn't respect any relationship at the time feeling as if no one respected mine. I am sorry," Lauren said as she stepped closer to the other woman. "If things were different, I would have loved to have gotten to know you better as a person and not just as a hot one night stand that I can't forget about to this day."_

" _Excuse me, this is not an apology but just another come on," Arizona said angrily as she stared down the other woman unaware that Callie had just walked up behind them. "I can't believe you. You claim to want to explain and apologize but you hit on me. You were nothing but a mistake then and an annoyance now. You just happened to meet me when I was in a vulnerable state in my life but now I am extremely happy with my wife and family and will not let you cause any more damage to me or the people I love. I will be seeing about having all your privileges at this hospital revoked and as a part owner, who is married to another part owner, I actually have some pull around here."_

" _She can count on my backing in that decision as a part owner as well Dr. Boswell so I suggest you leave now," Callie said sternly as she stepped up beside her ex-wife._

 _Arizona looked over at Callie and frowned knowing that tone of voice. This could go two ways but with the history between them she knew it wouldn't go easy._

" _This has nothing to do with you Dr. Torres," Lauren said as she turned towards the other woman._

" _The hell it doesn't since it was my wife you screwed in that on-call room," Callie growled as she stepped closer to Boswell. "You screwed up my life and took her away from me."_

" _The way I hear it, you walked away and left her," Lauren said standing her ground. "At least that's what Leah told me one night after we reminisced about our exploits with your EX-wife."_

" _Dr. Boswell," Arizona cautioned knowing Callie was ready to strangle this woman. "I suggest you leave. You know nothing about my relationship with Dr. Torres or about me despite what you may have heard from Leah Murphy."_

 _None of the three women had noticed the crowd that gathered around the nearest nurses station watching this unfold. Meredith was among the viewers with her sisters actively holding her back from going over there and yanking the skank away from her wife._

" _I know a lot about you Arizona," Lauren said as she shifted her attention to Arizona again not worrying about Callie. "I know what you look like beautifully naked, writhing beneath me during climax, I know your taste, smell, and the way your body reacted to my touch. I know the sounds you make when you're being driven to heights of passion, the way…"_

 _That was as far as she got before she was knocked to the ground by a well placed punch to the jaw by Callie. She was sure she heard her jaw crack but she stared defiantly up at the mad Latina._

" _You fucking bitch! You ruined my life that night and if you don't get out of here I will beat you into an OR room because in case you forgot I break bones for a living," Callie snarled as she stepped in front of Arizona to block her from the woman's view._

" _Dr. Torres," yelled Chief Bailey. "What the hell do you think you are doing? My office now!"_

 _Callie ignored the chief and turned to Arizona, "I really hate that woman. I am sorry I stepped in to defend you but she deserved that and so much more for what her interference in our life cost us."_

 _Arizona just stared at Callie a moment before she sighed, "Callie, that night was just one of the many things that caused the end of us. It was not even the main thing but in the end she was right about one thing. You walked away from me. You gave up on me. You moved on with Penny and claimed to be the happiest you had ever been. You did that, not me. Now, I am the happiest I have ever been. I found something with Meredith Grey that I wasn't looking for or even think I deserve but I will never give it up for anyone or anything. You need to learn to move on and live with the choices that you made just like I had to do after you made them."_

 _Just then she felt arms wrap around her from behind and smiled knowing her wife was here._

" _Callie, you know she's right and you need to figure your shit out but I do want to say one thing to you before you head to the chief's office," Meredith said seriously._

" _What?" Callie asked dejectedly._

" _Thank you for knocking that bitch on her ass for how she was talking about my wife," Meredith smirked before she turned to security that had shown up finally. "Please escort the trash out of our hospital."_

"Hey," Meredith said as she looked up at the woman along with her wife.

"Look, I know we haven't really talked since I came back after my suspension but I just wanted to come by and see how you are both doing," Callie said looking at Arizona and Meredith. "Sofia told me about her new brothers and I wanted to congratulate you both on the birth of your sons. I'm not gonna lie and say I am over all of this but I have been going to therapy and have learned to take responsibility for my part in losing you Arizona. I am sorry for the past few years and I would like to see if maybe we can get back to all being friends. I want to say that we are more than what was it you called us, co-parenting pen-pals? Meredith you used to be my best friend and I miss you too. Just think about it okay, now can you introduced these handsome little guys to me."

Arizona and Meredith shared a glance and then they introduced their boys to Callie. They spent a few minutes talking before the transport showed up to wheel them out. Callie helped Meredith get the two little boys, Arizona, and all their stuff down to the car before asking if she could stop by sometime this week to visit with them and Sofia. The married couple agreed and wondered if maybe Callie hadn't finally found peace with things and they could all move on.

Sofia had decided to stay the school year with her Momma and Meredith and once the summer started they would go back to the weekly rotation. She explained in her own 6 yr old logic it was a fair and square deal her Momma and Mami had made so it should be followed.

* * *

That night after they had the older kids down for the night, Arizona sat in one of the rocking chairs in the nursery nursing Timothy while Meredith held Marcus as he drifted back to sleep after he had his belly full.

"He looks just like you," Meredith said as she stared lovingly at her son.

"Not just like me. He has your hair color," Arizona said. "I couldn't have asked for a better wife than you Meredith Robbins-Grey. It may have been a long road for the both of us to get here but I am so very glad that we are traveling it together from here on out. I love you and the kids more than anything."

"I love you too babe," Meredith said as she looked over at her wife. "This life is more than I ever thought I would have again after losing Derek but Arizona you and the kids are my whole life and nothing will change that."

"Just think about all that we still have to look forward to. I mean now that Amelia and Abby are engaged and Sam is living with Maggie both couples are headed to giving us nieces and nephews to spoil as much as they have spoiled their cousins. We have all the milestones to look forward to with the kids too as they grow up. We have many wonderful years left to look forward to Meredith and I will love you through them all," Arizona said as she gazed over at her wife.

"Arizona, nothing can keep me from loving you or the kids. I know we still have many, many adventures left but with you by my side I know we will always do the right thing for each other and our family."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay guys that's it and thanks for sticking with me. I'm sorry for the wait but life happens. If it seems like there is more to explore with this story that is because it really is and I may come add one-shot chapters that show us a look at the lives of our girls and their family as the years pass. Who knows what they have left to share with us. Thanks for the time you invested and the great reviews and support.**


End file.
